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Dear Randy,

sorry for my bad english,

You write:"-- The treatment of seed with systemic products is not held
> responsible for adverse effects on
> Colonies of bees

But this is not true
In Italy, There are well-documented cases of deaths of bees due to the 
sowing of maize seed tanned with neonicotinoid. During the sowing, the 
powder with neonicotinoid settles on the flora and bees the next morning 
collecting the dew and death.

Regards, Massimiliano Piedmont Italy

see also,

ISSN 1721-8861  Risk of environmental contamination by the active ingredient 
imidacloprid used for corn seed dressing. Preliminary results Moreno greatti 
Dipartimento di Biologia applicata alla Difesa delle Piante, Università di 
Udine, Italy

Abstract  Aim of the study was to detect the possible loss of a.i. 
imidacloprid through the fan drain of pneumatic seed drills during corn 
sowing operations. The experiment regarded Gaucho® dressed corn seeds. In 
order to detect air contamination, paper filters were positioned at the air 
output of the fan; in addition grass and flower samples from green areas 
near fields were collected immediatelyafter the corn had been sown. Residues 
of imidacloprid were found both in the paper filters and in the grass and 
flowers samples. Quantity of imidacloprid in the paper filters increased 
with increasing exposure times. The results confirm that the air is 
contaminated by a.i. imidacloprid during normal sowing operations using 
Gaucho® dressed corn seeds.

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