Randy, you said:

"...in both my experience, and with that of a number of other researchers, caged bees in incubators typically consume something in the range of 50-100 microliters of 1:1 sucrose syrup per day per bee."

The difference between your observations (BTW, have you got citations for the others that agree with your work?) and the consumption measured by Suchail is most likely due to the fact that those who study IMI effects have noticed that insects starve themselves when poisoned in this way.  This phenomenon was seen in the aphid study recently evaluated (Fisher, and then followed up by me) and would most likely be true of hypoactive IMI poisoned bees.  So it is no surprise here if they eat less, IMO.  But so what...if they eat less and die in the presence of a poison, does that mean the study is less convincing than if they ate the same as normal bees and then died?

In veterinary medicine, where I worked for years before going to a teaching college, it was common knowledge that poisoned animals eat less.

Christina

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