Dear Bee Listers,
 
   A number of folks from the bee list are here at the convention. I think a
partial message was just accidently sent from one of them to the list before
it was completed. There may be others that haven't identified themselves yet.
 I don't think   Larry Connor or Paul Van Westendorp were mentioned.   There
may be more.  It is a madhouse at the moment, with an auction going on around
us.
 
   The meeting is well attended and has been quite intense.  The pollination
symposium on Thursday was jam-packed with information.  I was a contributor
in this session, but received a lot, also.  Of very good value were Dr.
Ambrose's report on cucumber pollination with honeybees and bumblebees, and
Dr. Connor's report on evaluating pollination from evidence in the flower and
fruit.  Some of this info will be working its way into our web page in the
next couple weeks.
 
   Also a highlight for me was the opportunity to talk with the EPA
representative who is the head of the Labeling Unit, which may be writing new
pesticide label protection directions for bees.  As you may know, there is
intense lobbying going on to weaken the label directions or to turn it over
to the states.  Mosquito vector control people are trying to get their
agencies exempt from compliance with the bee direction labels.
 
    Our pesticide regular head in South Carolina is among those who is
lobbying to make the language more vague, to except wild bees, and mosquito
control districts.
The push is on to make all protective efforts the responsibility of the
beekeeper, rather than making the applicator have the responsibility.  It is
the applicator that has chosen to use a material with environmental hazards,
in this case, to pollinators, and it is logically his responsibility to
protect those environmental resources.
 
    I cannot run to "protect" bees every time someone sprays.  I may have
 bees in 20 locations on any given day during cotton bloom, that could be
exposed to improper applications.  If he sprays properly, the bees are not in
danger.
 
   After the presentation, a few of us representing a range across the
country went for coffee with Jim Downing, the EPA rep, and gave a strong
perspective that he had not received from the other input.  Each of us has
had damage over and over again.  State agencies do not want to enforce the
law.  If all protection, including the directions themselves are left to the
states, most states will have no protection at all.
 
US members of this list need to write to
Jim Downing,
7505 W 401 M. St, SW
Washington, DC 20460
 
([log in to unmask])
 
   The current labels, if enforced do give adequate protection, though some
states 1.regard them as advisory, rather than specific directions.
2. refuse to recognize they apply to wild bees.  The directions are under the
head "Environmental Hazards," which clearly indicates the reference to
pollinators as an environmental resource, and clearly does not exclude
bumblebees, solitary bees and other social bees.
3.  do not deal with the residual effect of many pesticides clearly marked as
residual, which indicates that they cannot be used on a blossom which is
attractive to bees, if they will return during the residual life of the bees.
 
   Please ask for strengthening rather than weakening the protection given to
bees.
 
One of the silly proposals is to add a directive not to spray on hives.  This
has no effect on the hives unless the pesticide is a fumigant.  Agricultural
and mosquito control materials rarely have any fumigant effect.  Damage
occurs when the bee is at the flower, and recieves a droplet, or brings back
contaminate pollen and nectar.
This directive makes an unnecessary restriction on applicators.
 
   One of the nice things about the conference is the chance to share the wit
and wisom of some of our bee list members.  Allen Dick is a great guy, and
we've spent quite a bit of time together.  The only drawback is that I
pictured him as young and lean, but he looks more like me.
 
    There is a lot of interest, and we probably will pick up a few more list
members from the attendees here.  There has also been a stream of messages
coming in and going out from the internet display.
 
   That's all for now.  The auctioneer's, chant is spoiling my concentration.
 
Dave Green  (temporary e-mail address)