Bill Bartlett wrote:

>In light of recent European bans of a pesticide linked to Bee Colony 
>Collapse Disorder (CCD), at least one key bee expert is calling for a ban
of the same pesticide in the United States. "In the United States, drastic
action is needed," says Canadian geneticist Joe Cummins, explaining that
U.S. farmers and beekeepers shouldn't have to wait for more evidence

* Joe Cummins is not a "key bee expert", and he is using the honey bee's
problems to advance his agenda:

> Genetics Professor Joe Cummins of the University of Western Ontario
believes that the GM seed industry is aiming at nothing short of total
control -- i.e., that certified seeds will be required for all plantings,
and that these seeds will have to contain a herbicide-resistant gene.

from
"Are We Being Genetically Modified?"
JUDY KENNEDY / CCPA Monitor Apr02

> Now most apiarists and scientists realize that pesticides are a factor in
CCD, he says.

Now, he is speaking for "most apiarists and scientists" as if they are in
total agreement with his slanted viewpoint. I seriously doubt that "most
apiarists and scientists" advocate ditching modern agriculture in favor of
an all-organic world, as he does.

> Organic agriculture must be widely adopted to save the honeybee.
Sub-lethal levels of pesticides, including the Bt biopesticides produced in
genetically modified (GM) crops covering some 30 percent of the global area,
disorientate the bees, making them behave abnormally, and compromise their
immunity to infections. Regulators have allowed the widespread deployment of
systemic neonicotinoid pesticides  based on assessments of lethal dose in
bees of the pesticides alone, ignoring clear evidence that sub-lethal
pesticide levels act synergistically with fungal parasites [nosema] in
killing insects. The honeybees may well be succumbing to such synergistic
effects. There is every reason to eliminate the use of all pesticides that
act synergistically with parasitic fungi, and all Bt crops should be banned
for the same reason. Obviously, these problems will disappear with the
widespread adoption of organic, non-GM farming.

from 
"Saving the Honeybee Through Organic Farming"
Professor Joe Cummins

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