Randy wrote:

Could well be the case if birds didn't quickly learn that they didn't enjoy
the effects of the first seed!

 The report discusses “Issues of Repellency” on pages 34 through 37. 


The debate over neonics seems to have two camps with one saying "There is nothing to worry about. Bee happy." and the other says " My spider sensors are tingling, opps, I think they just died".  

The authors of the report Randy refers to have good credentials. And they say we have lots to worry about. Their main concern appears to be problems caused by the persistence of neonics in our environment.

I found it worrying that the lead author seems to feel neonics are more dangerous than their predecessors. I've pasted his bio below. 

Another excerpt from the report,  

On page nine, under point seven of the report's summary:

 
"Neonicotinoid insecticides may be totally unprecedented in the history of pesticide registration in
that measured groundwater contamination levels have been high enough to cause aquatic
impacts.

Data on surface water contamination from surveys to date, notably from California and from the
Canadian Prairies, indicate that concentrations of several of the neonicotinoid insecticides are
high enough to be causing impacts in aquatic food chains. Data from other jurisdictions (e.g. the
Netherlands) show even higher levels of contamination.

It is clear that neonicotinoids have often replaced other insecticides of higher short-term toxicity
to aquatic life – especially fish. However, the mode of action of neonicotinoids, which entails a
cumulative irreversible action and delayed effects in invertebrates, as well as their persistence in
the environment, makes them particularly worrisome. It is clear that we are witnessing
contamination of the aquatic environment at levels that will affect aquatic food chains. This has
a potential to affect consumers of those aquatic resources, be they birds, fish or amphibians.
In conclusion, policymakers and the public should be very concerned about the impact of
neonicotinoid insecticides on birds and on the broader environment. Specifically, we should be
concerned that:

 regulatory procedures are scientifically deficient and prone to the vagaries of chance
 risk managers appear to place minimal weight on concerns raised by environmental
scientists who carry out the scientific evaluations of the products
 despite all the red flags, regulators are adding to the list of permissible uses
 neonicotinoids – the most heavily used insecticides in the world – are systemic products
that are extremely persistent and very much prone to runoff and groundwater infiltration
 some neonicotinoids are capable of causing lethal intoxications and all are predicted to
cause reproductive dysfunction in birds
 where we have looked, we have found broad-scale aquatic contamination at levels
expected to cause impacts on aquatic food chains.
 any future re-evaluation of these products appears to focus solely on pollinator toxicity.
The seriousness of pollinator losses should not be underestimated, but there is much
more at stake"

"Dr. Pierre Mineau began his long and distinguished scientific career studying the effects of persistent
organochlorine compounds, like DDT and PCBs, on fish-eating birds. He then became responsible for the
Canadian assessment of new and existing pesticides to determine their adverse impacts on wildlife. In 1994
he transitioned from regulatory reviews to full-time research on the environmental impacts of pesticides,
achieving the rank of Senior Research Scientist at Environment Canada. Working with international
collaborators and graduate students, he works on assessing globally the environmental footprint of
pesticides. He also studies how birds are exposed to pesticides and how bird populations respond to
pesticide use and agricultural practices. His work includes defining the ecological values of birds in cropland
as well as estimating the incidental take of birds from various other human activities. He has written more
than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has authored some 200 presentations. He officially retired from
public service in 2012 and now holds an Emeritus position with the Canadian government, serves as an
adjunct research professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and at the University of Saskatchewan in
Saskatoon, and consults privately."


Ted

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