Hello All, Yesterday I spoke with a close friend which runs a large pest control outfit. Quite an eye opener as to the way pesticides reach market. We discussed termite control. He said LD50 is the only concern and in the case of fipernil (spelling?) the registration test plot is around 10 years old and the termite control is still 100%. The registration is based on Japan which has a test plot which still is providing 100% termite control. He said the product the industry used after chloradane ( chloradane test plot still 100% TERMITE KILL AFTER 48 YEARS i THINK HE SAID) was dropped as the product only provided a barrier and repellent effect. he told me the small drill size area needed for termites to get in but control was better with a pesticide which was carried back to the nest. yes he said breaking down immune systems was a method of kill. Especially with a sub lethal dose. he also said that because fipernil works so good little interest has been shown by pest control outfits for the use of the neonicotinoids for termite control. He was not sure why the neonicotinoids were chosen over other chemicals for use in treated lumber. I spoke this morning with a large farmer/ seed seller. he said that he has been planting year after year roundup ready soybeans but because with roundup the weeds ( bee forage) comes up each spring. farmers used to be content to run a disc and no till but with the price of fuel many are burning those weeds ( bee plants ) off with another herbicide in fall. He said he still uses a disc as he feels all those chemicals can not be a good thing. Duh! As I was working bees yesterday I looked at a corn field (waiting to be planted in corn for the forth year in a row) and the ground is dead. Not a weed or an earthworm. The large farmer said that was because the herbicide used for corn left a buildup in the soil. So now we have got a buildup of herbacide & imidacloprid when corn is planted year after year in the same field. He laughed and said some farmers think the buildup might be enough to skip a year ever once in awhile when planting corn year after year in the same field. The seed seller said the seed sellers do not tell the farmers planting the same crop year after year will leave a buildup but at times say that disease and insect problems could occur with such a plan quote David Hackenberg: "it seems beekeepers keeping bees in areas of crop production are seeing the most problems with their bees" A true statement without a doubt! When I started in beekeeping almost fifty years ago beekeepers sought out fields of corn where farmers controlled weeds ( honey plants such as blue vine) by pulling cultivators through the fields until the corn was taller than the weeds. I made huge crops next to these farmers but those days are gone now. History will tell us if the widespread use of big ag by these chemicals was a smart move but most commercial beeks have allready seen the hand writing on the wall for beekeeping in those areas. I recommend to the public as I do and get a water purifier for your drinking water. All these chems will eventually end up in our water supply in my opinion. bob **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * ****************************************************