> 100% of hives near peach plantations dwindled and died out within 9 months.

This reminds me of the time I contacted the managers of a large orchard operated by Cornell University. At the time, I was managing bees for the Dyce Lab and was looking for new locations, especially close to the lake since there appears to be a microclimate effect. Being by the lake seemed like a potential way to minimize the harsh winter conditions. 

The orchard people said that the last place I wanted to put bees was into the orchards. They were sprayed endlessly, they brought bees in for pollination and then get them out ASAP. This is the reason bees are rented for pollination, because orchards are not and have never been a good place to keep bees year round.

A large faction of die-hards is trying to keep the anti-neonics propaganda alive as a wedge issue. Their ultimate aim is to ban all pesticides, no matter what. Nobody I know thinks that pesticides are a good idea. They are what's called a necessary evil. The pests are far worse, pests and pathogens are a problem with almost every crop. This is not Eden. 

On the other hand, there is ample evidence that modern crop protection products are in the main better than their predecessors. Does this mean they are perfect? Of course not, but just because people die every year from electrical accidents, we don't do away with electricity. We need dangerous things, that's life. 

The DEFRA report stated:

Evidence suggests that populations of bees in free-ranging situations do not normally experience the levels of neonicotinoids that result in sub-lethal toxic effects. This, together with the dilution effect of bees not always feeding upon treated crops, is the most likely reason why field studies do not demonstrate the same effects as studies where bees are given artificial doses of pesticide. Even if effects are present and remain undetected, these effects are small and unlikely to be biologically significant.

Insects are significant pollinators of crops like oilseed rape [Canola] where yields can collapse in the absence of pollinators. In the UK, neonicotinoids have been used as seed treatments on OSR for 10 years. This suggests that if pesticide use was reducing pollinator effectiveness then this would also be detrimental to crop productivity. Consequently, the claim that treatment of OSR with neonicotinoids kills pollinators is countered by the success of the crops themselves.

Conclusion: While this assessment cannot exclude rare effects of neonicotinoids on bees in the field, it suggests that effects on bees do not occur under normal circumstances. This assessment also suggests that laboratory based studies demonstrating sub-lethal effects on bees from neonicotinoids did not replicate realistic conditions, but extreme scenarios. Consequently, it supports the view that the risk to bee populations from neonicotinoids, as they are currently used, is low.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
An assessment of key evidence about Neonicotinoids and bees
March 2013  www.defra.gov.uk

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