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Subject:
From:
Aaron Morris <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 6 Sep 2001 08:02:41 -0400
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This message  was originally submitted by  [log in to unmask] to
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----------------- Original message (ID=C86A2F5D) (106 lines)
------------------
From: "al picketts" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology"
<[log in to unmask]>
References: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re:      Re: An exchange regarding "Admire" (Bayer)
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 18:11:11 -0300

Richard,
The lack of response to your inquiry must be telling you something. Bayer
have their hackles up whenever anyone suggests that their beloved 'Admire'
could be responsible for the deaths of about half a million hives in France
(actually the name is Gaucho in this case) when used as a seed treatment for
sunflowers.  Their hackles are still up when anyone suggests that the high
winter (and now Summer as well) mortality rate in PEI (that's Canada) is due
to Admire used on potatoes.  Personally, I've lost about $100,000 worth of
bees in the last 3 years.  The fact that these high death rates did not
occurr until 2 years after the first use of Admire does not seem to be any
proof of guilt.  Admire is applied in the soil at potato planting.  As I
understand it, 2 years after the application when the field is in clover
there is still half the original amount in the soil.  We, I, suspect the
level of Imidacloprid in the necter is high enough to cause the bees to act
in a non-normal manner.  We have no proof but I am seeing hives with 3 or 4
combs of open brood with no bees except for maybe a dozen workers and a
queen. I suspect the bees are affected in much the same way alcohol affects
people.  Very few people actually die from alcohol but many die from the
affects like car accidents, fights, etc. The bees seem to have trouble
navigating (they get lost), foraging (they find the flower but can't figure
out what they are supposed to do with it),  brood rearing (the brood seems
to be neglected even with plenty of bees and this shows up as dead brood,
high rate of chalk brood and an odd foul brood that looks like EFB and AFB
but somewhat different). I also suspect the bees have trouble maintaining a
winter cluster and leave the hive to die in the snow. The winter deads have
lots of food in the combs but no bees.
These observations have been over the past 3 years. Other beekeepers are
experiencing similar losses as Admire is being used in their areas. Next
spring (2002) all canola grown in Canada cannot be treated with Lindane. The
seed treatment of choice is Gaucho (Imidacloprid). Since bees work canola
flowers I expect the winter mortality rate for bees in western Canada will
be much higher than normal. BUT we have no proof and the results could be
very costly.
I am trying to breed for Imidacloprid resistance. It's really quite a simple
program : if the hive dies don't breed from it. Next spring I must make some
very difficult choices - either the bees winter well (better than 50%) or I
host an auction sale.
Sorry to have prattled on so and I probably have not told you anything you
didn't already know.
Regards,
Al Picketts

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