What struck me was that the results show that while systemic use of neonics can produce significant levels in nectar and pollen, the foliar and drip treatments resulted in much higher levels, so that the use of systemic insecticides on cucurbits should be encouraged. I certainly did not mean to imply that cucurbits are a safe haven for bees, and newer insecticides are being developed. 

> Survey results showed that the majority of cucurbit growers treat their transplants with a bedding tray rate of imidacloprid just prior to transplanting or apply the low labeled rate in transplant water. Only <10% of the cucurbit acreage is treated with neonicotinoid insecticides after planting.

Bedding tray drench:
> Pollen and nectar samples from this treatment contained the least amounts of imidacloprid and its metabolites, ranging from 3.3-6.7 ppb in pollen and 0.3-0.5 ppb in nectar.

Post planting application:
>The transplant water and split treatments resulted in significantly higher imidacloprid amounts ranging from 30-101 ppb in pollen and 3.8-13.7 ppb in nectar. The highest amounts of imidacloprid were found in samples from plots treated as a split application (transplant water treatment followed 4 weeks later by chemigation), which applied one-half the labeled rate through the drip when plants were flowering.

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