??Hello Peter & All,
All the talk about canola only slightly interests most U.S. beekeepers as we
are comparing two completely different crops canola in two different areas
of North America in two different soli types (canola  is rarely planted in
the U.S.) and corn (which is the most planted plant in the U.S.)

I think its reasonable to say (from those on the list ) that bees do poorly
on canola ( Allen dicks diary information) but seem to recover after removed
from *Canola.*  This is also true of many crops on which the neonicotinoids
are used.

I have no experience with canola pollination but the one flaw I see in the
study is the design of the study.

The bees were placed for only three weeks and then pulled to range land.

I have developed this technique to use myself around corn. Move in with the
bees having access to clover and then move the bees as soon as the honey
stops flowing.

another method I use is to feed the bees a pollen sub so the bees leave the
corn pollen alone. Moving away works best.


With corn the bees are around the corn from the time the first field is
planted till the last planted tops and the span of planting can last two
months within the 2-4 mile radius the bees visit. In other words bees have
access to corn pollen about any time over a two month period.

The bees on range always do better (survival) than the bees in areas of row
crops but the big honey crops involve getting close to fields the farmers
are growing clover for green manure ( and the corn fields). The range land
in Missouri is mostly fescue which is worthless for the bees and crowds out
clover many times.

Also after the main honey flow stops corn pollen is still available and at
times the bees plug frames with the pollen. We have to go in and remove the
pollen frames as bees will freeze and starve over frames of pollen in
winter.

You have access to studies many of us do not Peter. how about seeing if you
can pull up some U.S. corn/Imidacloprid/clothianidin studies?

bob

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