Several posters of this list have made the point that if farmers do
not use treated seeds on all the crop, then it is too late to do the
cheap treatment when a pest is found, and the result will be the
spraying of more obnoxious chemicals.    The "Task Force on Systemic
Pesticides"  (the 29 scientists which examined about 800 papers on
neonics, their website and documents can be accessed from:
http://www.tfsp.info/  ) has not had very favourable reviews from many
of the people on this list, but they have dealt with this problem
directly and with some factual documentation, as opposed to just
saying that using IPM and not seed treating MUST lead to huge
increases in spraying.  Below is the abstract of their paper, but the
full paper can be seen here:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-014-3628-7/fulltext.html

>Neonicotinoid insecticides are widely used for control of insect pests around the world and are especially pervasive in agricultural pest management. There is a growing body of evidence indicating that the broad-scale and prophylactic uses of neonicotinoids pose serious risks of harm to beneficial organisms and their ecological function. This provides the impetus for exploring alternatives to neonicotinoid insecticides for controlling insect pests. We draw from examples of alternative pest control options in Italian maize production and Canadian forestry to illustrate the principles of applying alternatives to neonicotinoids under an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. An IPM approach considers all relevant and available information to make informed management decisions, providing pest control options based on actual need. We explore the benefits and challenges of several options for management of three insect pests in maize crops and an invasive insect pest in forests, including diversifying crop rotations, altering the timing of planting, tillage and irrigation, using less sensitive crops in infested areas, applying biological control agents, and turning to alternative reduced risk insecticides.


I found the paper interesting,  and think that it would at least be a
starting point for more factual discussion.  I note that Charlie has
often made the point that US corn production is fuelling the world.
The paper does note that the US grows 18 million ha of corn.  But
Europe grows 14 million ha of corn, and I think they grew it without
neonics this year.  Did the price of corn skyrocket Charlie due to a
huge shortfall in Europe?  (I am not being sarcastic here, I genuinely
do not know if Europe grew corn without neonics or if there was a crop
failure).  I seem to recall someone from Britain posting that oilseed
rape had to be sprayed after planting.  I am not that surprised by
that.  Canola farmers here have told me that they absolutely need some
control for flea beetles for the first two or three weeks after
planting, but need little else after that.  According to the paper,
wireworm in Europe is only a serious pest in about 5% of maize fields,
and corn rootworm is rarely serious except where fields are not
rotated.

Stan

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