> The study took place during the summer of 2001 in PEI and New
> Brunswick. It included sampling and analysis of over 3,800 soil cores,
> over 8,000 clover leaves, over 2,000 clover flowers, over 480 grams of
> wildflowers and over 6,000 honeybees.

One should remember also that the clover was seeded the year following
potatoes, and did not flower until the next year, which was the third year
after the treatment with admire (imidacloprid).

The following year some samples were taken of honey and pollen in hives
in New Brunswick which were being used to pollinate seed canola.  This
was being grown the year after potatoes.  The results of this study (also by
Jim Kemp) which are much less publicized DID show significant amounts 
of imidacloprid in honey and pollen from the canola  (about 3 to 5 ppb in 
some samples, I believe).  This is the same order of magnitude of amounts
which Cynthia Scott-Dupree found in honey and pollen from canola in the year
of treatment of canola  with imidacloprid.   This shows how persistent the
insecticide is in the soil.

These results were a bit disturbing to Jim Kemp / Bayer, and so the next
year they did a study of some of my hives which were on seed canola in the
year following imidacloprid treated potatoes.  I had about 1000 hives on canola
that year and about 1000 hives which were not anywhere near it.  They did
a lot of testing of honey, pollen, leaves, flowers , nectar, and comb.   I have
been trying to get the results of that study for four years now.   I have had no
success.   I am thinking of petitioning our Pesticide Advisory Committee again
(which was what started all the admire studies in the beginning),  to see if
they can have any better success in forcing disclosure of the results.

I presently have just finished going through the hives this spring and feeding
pollen supplement patties.  I put 2,800 into the winter, and lost about 20%, so
far.  There are enough really strong hives to make up any that will still go down.
I believe that the thing that may have mitigated the effects of imidacloprid here
is that when it was first used it was as a foliar spray (it was first registered in
Canada for use on PEI potatoes).  Then it was used as a soil injection in the 
seed drill, and the amount per hectare was reduced   Now many producers
are actually soaking the seed sets in an admire solution, and this both cuts
their costs and reduces futher the dose per hectare.  Since bees do not visit
potatoes, it is the residual amount (and the 288 day half life) in the soil which
is problematical.   When used on sunflowers, canola, apples etc., much smaller
amounts could dangerous.

I have no idea whether imidacloprid has any connection with CCD.  I will note
that  "disappearing disease" is what we always found in hives I felt were 
affected.   Often this was accompanied by chalkbrood and EFB,  but it always
seemed that this was a symptom of hives which had several frames of brood
and only a tiny handful of adults, so the brood was stressed.   The queens were
good and often the tiny cluster would abandon all the brood and start again on
clean comb.

Regards
Stan

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