??> Bob, you havn't cited any statistics that show a majority
>> of Midwestern farmers are planting corn on corn instead
>> of rotating.
>
 The stats are out there if you want to look by calling the different USDA
 offices in the Midwest. I have been keeping hives around the fields in my
 area for over thirty years. I see what is being planted!
 I have access to the ariel corn plot photos at my USDA office.
(as do others as is public information)
>

> Tube video that shows honeybees gather nectar/pollen
>> from corn" the only one anyone could come up with
>> was from a garden of sweet corn near the east coast
>> (99% of Midwestern corn is field corn, not sweet corn).
>
>The above insults the beekeepers on the BEE-L list intelligence. Do
> you really think bees will only gather pollen from only sweet corn?
Bees do not gather nectar from corn as you write above.

By now I would think its time to drop the "bees do not gather corn pollen
hypothesis".


>> One must also consider any given field of corn sheds
>> pollen for only 7-10 days out of the whole growing season
>
 What about the FACT corn is planted in a field within flying distance of
 most Midwest corn country hives almost daily in the planting season. All
producing pollen at
 different times giving the bees access to the pollen every day for a couple
 months.

I believe bees do not like corn pollen ( as compared to other pollens) but
will at times fill many frames with corn pollen.

>> Thus all this evidence, taken together, suggests extremely
>> limited potential for bees to be exposed to more
>> than trace quantities of neonics in the corn belt states.

 Show me the proof (like I have asked you for both on this list and
 another )that trace amounts of the neonics (which you admit to above) sub
 lethal are not harmful to my bees.

The American Honey Producers Assn. lists their research priorities at their
website> I think you can see fungicides and sub-lethal effects of pesticides
are high on the list.

From their website:

1. Varroa mite research
2.CCD
3.fungicides
4.sub-lethal effects of pesticides
5.nosema
6.SHB research
7.bee genetics
8.honeybee viruses
9.wax moth control
10.chalkbrood
11.biological controls for bee pests.

*In my opinion *the AHPA ( Adee Honey Farms) has more influence with the 
USDA
than the ABF. The top five of the above list s being pushed for research.
As one can see honey bee virus research is number 8 way down the list (even
below bee genetics and SHB research) which could* partially *explain why the
USDA has not been more responsive to my friend Jerry Brumenshenks request
for virus research funding.

I think its time we quit wasting research money on small hive beetle 
research.! SHB has been in the U.S. since 1998 and a huge amount of money 
has been spent with little return on the money. We know all we need to know 
about these beetles! A good hit with a fly swatter kills SHB.(kidding!)


> bob

Many of us believe virus issues are a symptom of the problem rather than the
problem but further research is needed.

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