Stan Sandler wrote:

> Paul, they measured imidacloprid and the first two metabolites
> that it degrades into (one of which has higher toxicity than the
> parent molecule).  

Stan, they didn't test or measure the kill or harm this highly aged
1,450 ppb insecticide residue in the nectaries was capable of
doing to pollinators in a real world field situation.
Kill or harm can't be blindly assumed without field trial 
evidence. 

Example: Imagine a hypothetical orchard situation where feral
honeybees were abundant and considered pest insects that a 
farmer wanted to get rid of. And imagine if an imidacloprid saleman
told the farmer: "just treat your crab apple trees with a soil injection of 
imidacloprid in the fall and next spring there will be enough 
imidacloprid in the flowers nectaries to wipe out the feral colonies 
of honeybees in and around your orchard.  The farmer would then 
ask the salesman: "what evidence do you have to support your 
claim of effectiveness against honeybees." Then the salesman explains: 
"here's a Penn State study that shows there will be a 1,450 ppb 
insecticide residue in the nectaries in the Spring following a soil 
treatment in the autumn."  The farmer would laugh and tell the 
salesman to get lost because he didn't furnish field trial evidence
that the aged 1,450 ppb insecticide residue in the nectaries was
actually capable of doing serious harm to honeybee colonies
in a real world field trial situation. 

Paul Cherubini
El Dorado, Calif.

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