>
> >Abnormal Foraging Behavior Induced by Sublethal Dosage of Imidacloprid in
> the Honey Bee
> (Hymenoptera: Apidae)


Hi Brian,

I am on the Pesticide Working Group with Bayer CropScience started by Dr
Jerry Bromenshenk and Dr Dave Fischer of Bayer.  I am approaching the neonic
subject with an open mind.

Bayer does not dispute that pesticides kill bees, and that they may cause
sublethal effects (as Bob Harrison has pointed out).  In fact, Bob, if you
still have unanswered questions to Bayer, I will be happy to see if I can
get answers to them.

All pesticide issues revolve around dosage.  Regulations are designed to
prevent harm to nontarget organisms (such as bees). With bees, there are
questions as to sublethal effects upon individual bees, the colony, and
reproductives.  Sublethal effects may be rate of growth, resistance to
diseases, or behaviour abnormalities.

The doses in the cited study were on the high side of what bees in the field
would actually be exposed to.  One value of seeing the effects of high doses
is that it may help you to know what to look for at low doses.  But it
doesn't mean that low doses have any significant effect.

A study presented Friday in Reno by Josephine Johnson found conflicting data
regarding abnormal return of foragers at low doses of imidicloprid.  She
will be expanding the trial.

The national beekeeper associations are currently seating members for the
Beekeeper Advisory Board to Bayer (and eventually other chemical
companies).  The members will review all appropriate research, including
unpublished proprietary Bayer data, and make recommendations to improve
future research so as to better answer our questions as to the effects of
current and future pesticides upon bees.

I hope that we can get a better sense of the actual effects, or lack
thereof, soon.

Randy Oliver

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