>The whole issue is now PR.

PR may help to keep public pressure on the EPA and EFSA, and may even
override reason, as it did when Dow was forced into bankruptcy when it was
unjustly blamed for inflammatory disease for its silicone breast implants
(now back on the market, Dow BILLIONS of dollars poorer, even though found
to be innocent in the end).  The kangaroo court of PR is dangerous, as it
does not necessarily have anything to do with facts.

>
> >If you go back an look at the tobacco fight the tobacco lobby never
> admitted
> problems with their product. Denial and PR.
>

Those at the top of those companies, who answer to the shareholders, will
of course put a good face on their products.  The company scientists, on
the other hand, are well aware of the problems, and trying to fix them.
 EPA and EFSA are putting pressure on the registrants to fix them.

On the other hand, actual field study after study, in country after
country, in which hives are placed next to seed-treated fields, perform
just fine, and experience no increased winter mortality.  That is pretty
strong evidence in favor of the products.  That said, planting dust from
corn seeding can be an issue--sometimes serious.

>
> >The neonic issue is *in my opinion* not winnable by beekeepers.


I feel that the beekeepers are indeed in the process of winning.  Beekeeper
after beekeeper, in state after state, has told me that pesticide issues
have largely gone away in recent years.  That, in my book, is a win!

That's not to say that pesticides are not still a serious issue in some
regions.  Foliar applications with neonics are one of the problems.

I don't think that it serves the beekeeping industry to keep painting with
a broad brush.  EPA is begging us for incident reports.  If we beekeepers
would only work with them we could actually get restrictions on the most
harmful pesticides.
-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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