Hello Jim & All,
I find it very interesting Jim considers the book fiction without ever 
reading the book.
 
The future testing being done on sub lethal effects of imidacloprid should 
provide findings U.S. beekeepers can approach Bayer with. 

I now have got a documented case with lab results of an imidacloprid kill 
in France.

Indeed baby steps against a chemical giant but in my opinion beekeepers 
can not simply ignore the neonicotinods. 

In my area farmers are planting imidacloprid treated seed corn for the 
third time on the same field! 

What are the imidaclprid levels in the pollen of those plants! 

If Jim believes that some of the hardest to kill pest insects are easily 
killed with a imidacloprid systemic pesticide an yet by some yet by Bayer 
to be explained reason honey bees are not effected then I have got some 
ocean front property to sell you in Missouri. 

Commercial beeks have got a horse in the race. We need some relief from 
sub lethal problems from neonicotinoids. Jim Fischer and the research 
community are not seeing the bottom line shrink due to losses. 

Growers should also be concerned because growers may have to choose 
between using neonicotinoids or getting bees for pollination. commercial 
beeks are in a learning mode right now. Many doing pollination have sent 
letters to growers asking for a complete list of all products used. David 
Hackenbergs letter was four pages long. 
Example. 
Hives were killed in neonicotinoid treated pumpkins (2006) and Dave had 
hives die right after pumpkins.
The next year he was talked into going back however because the USDA-ARS 
felt the neonicotinoids the grower used could not be the cause of the die 
off ( based on Bayer research) David returned (2007) but charged the 
grower * double*. After leaving the pumpkins those hives crashed.

Now David will not pollinate neonicotinoid treated pumpkins and raising 
pumpkins without bees is not profitable. Guess what? None of the rest of 
us will either!

Now we wonder how long will it take for the neonicotinoids to drop to a 
level after the grower stops use to be safe for beekeepers to bring bees 
into pollinate.

In Florida beekeepers have always produced Orange honey. Now they worry 
and wonder which year will the systemic pesticdes from every year use 
reach the problem level while their bees are on the orange flow. The 
former *largest producer of orange honey in the world* told me this spring 
that the use of systemic pesticides on orange could end the production of 
orange honey for beekeepers.
 
He spoke of the bee kills for years with the Bayer systemic  product 
temik. Which is still being used on Orange (instead of banned like in the 
U.K. for all uses) and still contaminating Florida ground water.

Thanks for the support Stan as speaking out is never a popular position.
 
bob

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************