>It was further pointed out that neonic use in consecutive years is unnecessary, especially given the soil half-life of the compounds and also given the "knock-down" effect on the target insects. The soil half life is not so much the issue. As a Bayer scientist pointed out to a group some years ago, why would they sell a pesticide that didn't need to be purchased each year? As far as I can tell, the residues in the soil to not give effective pest control. On the other hand, once a pest population has been greatly reduced in an area (as has corn rootworm in some regions), then IPM and PRM (pest resistance management) dictates that one should stop applying the pesticide! The problem is that seeds are treated with cocktails, including nematocides, fungicides, fertilizer, etc. It's easier for the treatment companies to simply add the entire cocktail. The answer is of course the market. If farmers demand neonic-free seed to use in rotation, the suppliers will supply it. -- Randy Oliver Grass Valley, CA www.ScientificBeekeeping.com *********************************************** 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