>
> >A possible explanation for this is that the the adults raised from the
> brood exposed to pesticide are damaged and unable to perform as well as
> unaffected bees.  The lack of vigour of the colony could then affect queen
> production.
>

This is an interesting topic Gavin!  First, the question is whether brood
are actually exposed--I'm not familiar with bumblebees, but in the case of
honey bees, very little pollen makes it to the brood.  And secondly,
clothianidin is virtually nontoxic to honey bee brood--you can't dissolve
enough in syrup to cause measurable adverse effects (Lodesani 2009)!

However, Pettis' recent study suggested that honey bee workers raised by
nurses exposed to Imd raised workers that were more susceptible to nosema
(although there was no dose response).

Then we go back to bees on treated canola--I don't hear of Canadian
beekeepers experiencing massive queen problems.

So all in all, it is difficult to make sense of these trials, and further
replication and confirmation is clearly called for.

Hey to any Canadian beekeepers--are there any bumblebees living near canola
fields?
-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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