When Bob recently reminded us that the head of the French Apicultural Union said that the situation in France improved after the partial banning of Gaucho and Regent, I questioned that having heard rumour to that effect and after seeing a report on Apimondia in Montpelier. He was quoted again in the French press yesterday: http://www.laterre.fr/article.php3?id_article=442 (in French) or in Franglais: http://tinyurl.com/2w24fdn So, he is still saying that the banning improved the situation, but he is acknowledging other causes too. A slight shift in position, but not the strong one I suggested previously. There is a very comprehensive and carefully worded review of bee losses in France here: http://www.afssa.fr/Documents/SANT-Ra-MortaliteAbeilles.pdf Unusually for a French technical report, it offers an English translation alongside the French in the report. Well worth a read if you have even a vague interest in what is happening to bee colonies in France. It refuses to commit itself on the causes of colony losses, but it does give the evidence a good airing. My impression is that the authors of the report would give a different emphasis from M Clement quoted above, but read it for yourself and find out. best wishes Gavin *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at: http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm