"For example, pollen residues of fluvalinate and coumaphos primarily originate by transfer from the contaminated comb wax, which contains much higher levels (e.g. 100-times) of these miticide residues.  Therefore, in the absence of exact measures of pollen residues in larval foods, we chose to test at 10 times the levels of these four pesticides found in pollen samples."

This denies (or ignores) what the octanol water distribution coefficient tells us about the behavior of individual pesticides.  It makes a huge difference if you are talking about Roundup or 24D ester for instance.  Or even 24D ester vs 24D amine salt.  The larva do not eat wax.  And, diffusion is slow relative to the life of a larva.  Even if they did eat some wax somehow the pesticide in the wax would be excreted unchanged in the undigested wax if the distribution coefficient favors octanol.

There is a good reason determination of this distribution constant is one of the required studies for registration.  And it is not an easy study as you are not allowed to use radio labeled tracer material in the determination.

Dick

" Any discovery made by the human mind can be explained in its essentials to the curious learner."  Professor Benjamin Schumacher talking about teaching quantum mechanics to non scientists.   "For every complex problem there is a solution which is simple, neat and wrong."  H. L. Mencken



 

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