Headline:
Beekeepers around the country are feeling stung by the EPA’s approval of a new pesticide that’s known to be toxic to bees, and are headed to court to try and prove that the EPA didn’t consider all the facts when it gave the go-ahead for Sulfoxaflor.

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Mark Whalon, an entomologist with Michigan State University, said it’s important to remember that the science around bees and insecticides is highly complex. Therefore, the public shouldn’t accept simplistic platitudes and sound bites, such as sulfoxaflor is “highly toxic” to bees.

“If a guy like me has to go back and review the toxicity data (on sulfoxaflor), what’s the likelihood that Sandy Miller, an everyday homemaker … is going to be able to understand this,” said Whalon, who advises the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on insect issues.

As a result, Whalon said he won’t make a snap judgment on sulfoxaflor until he has time to review the relevant research papers.

However, he said there is no “smoking gun” demonstrating that neonicotinoids are causing widespread bee losses around the globe. Most entomologists believe multiple factors are to blame.

Whalon is particularly perturbed by the obsession with neonicotinoids and new chemistries such as sulfoxaflor because beekeepers apply highly toxic insecticides directly to bees to control mites.

“Here’s the crazy thing. We’re still using organophosphates, nerve toxins, in the hive,” he said.

“Do pesticides (like neonics) have an impact? Absolutely. But how can we be talking about pesticides in the field when we’re still using primitive chemistry to control mites in the hive?”

The EPA collaborated with the PMRA and Australian regulators on the sulfoxaflor review. According to an EPA news release, the agencies evaluated more than 400 studies on sulfoxaflor’s chemistry.

Whalon said the public should have more faith in the approval process.

“I think we (U.S.) have one of the best regulatory processes on Earth. It is pedantic, it is formulaic and it is thorough.”

Whalon’s tone suggests he is an insecticide apologist, but he is actually an organic agriculture advocate. He directs the Michigan State Pesticide Alternatives Lab, which helps producers switch to environmentally benign and organic pest management strategies.

However, he is also a realist, saying it will take many years to devise effective alternatives to insecticides.

http://www.producer.com/2013/05/entomologist-responds-to-furor-over-sulfoxaflor-approval/
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