no snips but lots of questions here and I am largely responding to both Peter and Richard post...

Peter...
I am a bit confused as to what a herbicide and turtles have to do with one another?  I only heard of this research Saturday from Dr. Rangel and Danny Weaver and as far as your link it seems to require some key to access the study.  Published in Science correct? I will at some future date talk with both Dr Rangel and Danny as to what they think the research means.  Personally I find demeaning other folks research a bit small minded... Which is to say I am sure most researchers know if they make claims that are refuted and then are exposed as based on manufactured evidence their reputation and career as a research person is pretty much done. Who would risk that for such a small reward? I do know that the reputation of the person at the University of Texas referenced in the study is considered to be excellent and also know that the number of bee hives they have there is very limited < they send student here (TAMU Bee Lab) to do studies if the requirement of the students research is in anyway significant.  IMHO one hive means nothing in terms of the sample size of the experiment but 2000 bees represents a large amount of work < I am guessing here as to how exactly the work was done which would be clearer if I could preview the methodology.. which at this time I cannot. As a research project this was not about what happens to 'a hive' but what happens in the guts of the individual bees. No one here should be confuse on this matter.    

Richard...
I appreciate your first hand knowledge on DDT but do not see the connection to Roundup.  As you have informed me in the past as to the manufacture of the stuff the product was cheap to make and I would guess little quality control was applied in the process.  Really guessing here but based on the reputation of the manufactured some was and some was not?  I would say as a young man working in row crop farms in Florida when I was young it was not that unusual to see folks mix it and use it in ways that were not on the label. Your comments really make me wonder if what I thought I was mixing and spraying was actually what was on the label? Looking back there was no assurance that what was in the bag may have been just about anything.

*I should add here as matter of full disclosure that I have worked as a bee consultant to Monsanto in the not so distant past and they are a great group of folks to work for... It should be known that a number of their scientist (all with quite enviable credentials) also keep bees and since Monsanto is also into producing seed they use bees for some of what they produce. I am not certain if the paper work is complete but isn't Monsanto now Bayer? 

Gene in Central Texas....       

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html