>
> >The fact is, a lot of people are convinced that pesticides have a
> prominent role in CCD:
>

What I'm currently seeing happen is the worst case scenario that I've been
warning both beekeepers and researchers concerned about pesticides about for
the past few years--that is was unwise to link pesticides to CCD.

The reason for my thinking was that:
1.  Pesticides did not appear to be linked to major collapses, and
2.  If CCD were found to be caused by something else, such as parasites
(including nosema and viruses), then the public would think that pesticides
were off the hook as far as causing bee problems.

As Bob states, many commercial beekeepers experience problems with their
bees after exposure to ag pesticides (including fungicides).  This has long
been a problem, and likely always will be, even after CCD goes away (as I
suspect that it eventually will).

By hitching pesticide problems solely to CCD, beekeepers are shooting
themselves in the foot, as evidenced by the fear exhibited by those
criticizing Jerry's study--they are afraid that their funding will dry up if
the public thinks that CCD is "solved."

Would be much better to treat CCD and pesticides as separate issues.

Pesticides could clearly be an additional stress in CCD (especially with
beekeeper-applied miticides synergizing with ag pesticides) and have a clear
place in the model for CCD which I published in ABJ.  However, pesticides
are just as clearly not necessary for collapses to occur.

Pesticides are much more an issue for commercial honey bees and native
pollinators, and those supporting either of those species would do
themselves better by unlinking pesticide issues from CCD.

I heartily support the work of those studying pesticide issues, but feel
that they are making a big mistake by using CCD as their poster child.

Randy Oliver

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