>We have seen what happens to environmental groups who feel justified in fudging facts because they believe their cause is important enough that they need to get people’s attention somehow.

But it is not just environmental groups who bend the truth to suit their own agenda:
 
 “It is great to see that our bees have come out of the 2013/2014 winter in the best shape for many years,” says Dr. Christian Maus, Global Pollinator Safety Manager at Bayer CropScience. “These results are also very telling since the data relate to a season during which neonicotinoid-based crop protection products were still in common use throughout Europe. This offers further evidence that these important components in the toolbox of farmers do not impact the survival of honeybee colonies during overwintering under real-life field conditions,” Maus adds.

This completely ignores climate.  The main source of neonicotinoids in the UK is oilseed rape.  In the past two years we have had very little rape honey due to poor weather conditions when it was in flower.  In 2013 the weather improved after the rape finished flowering and we then had good weather which lasted right though into late autumn.  This meant that bees continued to breed and went into winter with large populations of young bees and excellent pollen stores.  The winter was then both exceptionally mild and short - so it is little wonder that colonies came out in the best condition that we have seen for decades.

Best wishes

Peter 
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W

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