Re:  

<She said beekeepers never paid attention to the effect of pesticides on 
pollinators until they experienced massive bee kills in 2012. and PLB said:

Huh? Beekeepers have been concerned about the effects of pesticides since the 
days of arsenic sprays. This is from 1889:>

Everyone on this list needs to buy a hard copy or an electronic version  from Wicwas Press of the 1990 Pollinator Handbook, A Bee and Pesticide Handbook by Carl Johansen and Daniel Mayer.  They summarize their life-time experience and knowledge, along with that of Larry Atkins.  You'll find what real bee kills were like in the past - what we see today is a shadow of what happened years ago - when kills were reported as colonies (not a made up guess as to numbers of bees).  You will also find that a lot of 'new' research is re-inventing what these three men knew and included in their handbook - and the concepts and principles, as well as the tables for many pesticides still in use appear here, in one place.  Larry Conner re-printed this book at my request, and I use it as a required text for our on-line bee courses.  Some sniff and balk at buying an 'old book', but of those who do and read it, many report that they have read it multiple times, include it as an essential reference, and BUY copies to give to growers and beekeepers. 

It's Black and White, no color pictures, but it contains a wealth of information.  Buy it, read it, you're likely to be surprised at how much information is encapsulated in an easy to read book; and at how much you didn't know.

 

 Jerry


 


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