Dave,
Thank you for your message.
You are correct to mention that pollen contamination is a problem.
Our bees collect pollen from Maize treated with "Gaucho"-imidacloprid.
The molecule is also applied to Wheat, Barley and Sugar beet.
It is as mentioned applied as a seed treatment.
Our problems do not appear(simplistic statement) until the Maize is in
flower and of course when the Sunflower blossoms occur.
The banning of Gaucho" as treatment on Sunflowers by the French Gov't
has had little effect as the bees work the Maize!
Resulting in:
a.Collapse in forager populations on the Sunflowers
b.Collapse in forager populations on the Maize.
c.Contaminated pollen entering the hive from primary treated maize.
d.Contaminated pollen entering the hive from plants picking up
Imidacloprid from previously treated soils.
The colonies are weak at the end of august, new brood is feed on
contaminated pollen( and honey), they do not build up for winter
adequately.
Winter reserves are not collected properly.
Bees born after the new spring brood is laid are fed again on
contaminated materials.
The molecule has been proven to be a neural toxin to bees at very low
doses. These levels do not kill the bees outright- they are sub lethal:
very important point !!!
Until recent independent research on this problem the levels of testing
did not drop to p.p.b. to investigate the sub lethal effects.
The French Gov't in response to this problem asked INRA- Institute
Nationale Recherche Français.(Dr Marc Colin of Avignon) and CRNS in
Orleans(department: Centre for molecular biophysics- Dr Jean Marc
Bonmatin) to investigate.
Their preliminary results were held in check due to the soil persistence
of the molecule not being realised- therefore the results  between
treated and "untreated areas was nul and void.
Colin proved in lab. conditions that the molecule at sub lethal levels
affected the bees behaviour detrimentally.
Later work has shown that the behaviour of the bees on blossoms that are
"affected "by the molecule is abnormal.
The bees work in a haphazard fashion- inability to maintain the task-
method and time.
Limited ability to work in attitudes away from the vertical position.
This has been studied by videoing the behaviour of the bees on
Sunflowers (Organic/ Treated).
The results have been and are still being analysed statistically.
The Gov't as you can imagine is under immense pressure to stop this
work- from many lobby sources- far more powerful than we beekeepers.
The basic argument is that Bayer have produced a systemic insecticide
that it knows is toxic to bees- but due to its method of
application(seed treatment) and its activity duration state that it has
no effects on the bees.
Bayer have changed many previously stated facts, such as its levels of
toxicity and length of activity in the soil as work has progressed.They
hold back their results under the cloak of industrial confidentiality.
At present trials on Rape are taking place in Canada- could not really
apply to do the trails here in France!
I t will take time for the effects to hit the bee colonies as the areas
treated have to build up and the persistence in the soil.
It now appears that if this molecule was submitted for a sale license
in E.U. with the present day knowledge, it would be refused.
We are waiting for the official release of the results of work under
taken in 1999!!
Sorry this is so long- but even this is a short account of what has been
happening.
>From the lack of replies on this list it appears that most beekeepers do
not believe or can't be bothered until the problem arrive. Then it will
be too late- pressure your governments to get info. and do the testing
on pesticides in a proper manner. There are proposals for a new
generation of Systemics that may be worse and we are not demanding that
they are tested in the right way. If you don't demand, your forgotten.
Result:NO BEES
Regards.
Peter.