The very interesting takeaways for me are 3 things, 

One,  the pesticide found is a synthetic pyrethroid.  still used a lot in Iowa  mostly in crops that Neonics are NOT used.  I have said it before,  repeated spraying with pyrethroids is worse for us here than neonic seed coatings
Two  the bees are better than we think at avoiding them  It was darn near arousing to learn that the bees KNOW the pollen is taitnted.   I wonder if that applies to other pesticides also.
Three, with the increased virilunce of mites,  and data showing how they are in fact a  bigger player in overall health than forage,  added to the fact any commercial guy will tell you mites are getting harder and harder to control.  This to me is the big clue  to the "forage debate"  I know with data, forage is as good as ever in most locations.   This to me is a real smoking gun.

Add to that the states with decreasing yields also show a marked increase in the numbers of hives,  is a slight bit of reality.
Hats off to  Amy and her group for looking for the answers instead of stopping at "less forage is bad" and a new headline.


Charles  

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