>
> > a caged bee trial and then everyone attacked it because it is a caged
> trial


I asked Dr Pettis directly for a prepub copy, but he deferred (which is
unusual).  So little point in discussion until we actually have a paper to
discuss.

However, I hardly feed that the study was "attacked."  Generically, cage
trials often can't be extrapolated to field conditions.  This is a simple
fact, not an attack.

Pettis and vanEngelsdorp are top-notch researchers, and their study, until
replicated by others, is likely simply yet another small piece to the
puzzle.

One analysis of their finding that I have not yet seen discussed is to
simply check it against field observations.  The most bee exposure to
clothianidin from corn would be in late June to early July, when the plants
shed pollen.  Should such exposure make bees more susceptible to nosema
infection then we should see a spike in spore counts following, either
immediately, or in the next generation, but in any case, within about a
month.

 In the field, N ceranae spore counts typically spike in May, and then
decline after that.   So actual field data does not at first glance appear
to suggest a correlation between clothianidin exposure and nosema infection.

Randy Oliver
Just the facts, Ma'am

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