> Many scientists now say the chief suspect is the most commonly used insecticide on the planet: Imidacloprid. 

I tried to find out if this was true and it may or may not be. Malathion 
probably is world-wide (based on EPA documents that were two years old) 
so even that statement is questionable, but in my search I was led to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imidacloprid_effects_on_bee_population

This may have been written by Bayer, but it appears objective (or as 
objective as wiki can be). I would love to see the study (uncited) after 
Imidacloprid was banned in France that showed no difference in bee 
mortality two years later. The beekeeper's said that it did not matter 
since it obviously was still active two years later and caused their 
problems.

What is most interesting is the trail that starts at this article and 
leads to Fipronil, also a corn treatment and directly implicated in bee 
death in France. It is listed as toxic to bees. It came on the market in 
1993 and is manufactured in France. Imidacloprid started being used in 
1994. Decline in bee populations in France started about the time that 
both appeared, according to the article about Imidacloprid.

If there is a link with corn, we had best look at everything that is 
associated with corn treatments before singling out just one.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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