Jim wrote:

> The systemics actually protect our environment
> by both reducing the amount of pesticide required
> to protect a crop to a tiny amount (as in seed
> treatments) and by eliminating the need to
> spray pesticides, which is how they kill bees,
> get into the groundwater and soil, etc etc.
> 
> When pesticides don't get airborne, bee kills
> go to nearly zero.  When growers don't apply
> pesticides themselves at all, bee kills get
> even closer to zero.  And pesticide volume
> goes way down.  The older pesticides that
> systemics can replace ARE a risk, one that
> only fools would continue to take.

I personally never had much trouble with the older
pesticides.  However, the impact on the environment
could be reduced to an equation:
amount applied (certainly less with systemics as you note)
times toxicity (the LD 50 is much higher with neonicotinoids)
times time in the environment (the half life of imidacloprid
in my area is over a year, far more I believe than the
organophosphates).

Pesticide sprayers here have to be take ongoing courses
and be certified.  I would rather trust my fellow farmers
than have a product which has to continue to kill for a long
time to be effective.

Stan

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