Dr. Jeff Pettis, research leader at the USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, MD., tells British Members of Parliament his research doesn't explain bee losses seen in the U.S. Pettis was the first researcher to suggest a possible link between insecticides called neonicotinoids and bee deaths.

 "The lab study certainly seemed very clear that low levels of pesticides were impacting on honey bee health," Pettis told the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture at the House of Parliament in London.

"But when we look in the field we don't see the same results. Even in those colonies that were exposed to low levels in the field, we're not seeing outbreaks of the gut parasite pathogen that we saw in the lab."

"Despite the disparity between clear negative effects in the lab and no observable effects in the field, pesticides are not off the hook and we must continue to look at the level of exposure and the effects of exposure on pollinators."

A question and answer session focused on the use of neonicotinoid and other systemic insecticides compared with the older chemistry. Pettis said these products represent a newer class of insecticide that could be described as replacements for previous "dirtier" chemistry.

Lovett said that there were concerns about more subtle effects of this chemistry, but “heaven forbid” if farmers had to go back to extensive spraying to control the insects that they needed to control.

Hartfield said in the absence of neonicotinoids, it would be difficult to control pests in some crops such as sugar beet and such crops might become unviable as a result.

Pettis concluded that not only was there little evidence for any direct affects of the introduction of GM crops on bee health, the reduction of insecticides used on insect-tolerant crops, especially GM cotton, had undoubtedly had a positive impact on bee health.

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