I agree that Dee and beekeepers in rural parts of many western states would
test for little or NO pesticides, but there are other ag chemicals and
industrial pollutants that can enter in. I've never found a beehive anywhere
that I couldn't document a fair number of less than 'organic' residues.
One of the worst are heavy metals in areas where ORGANIC gardens
proliferated in the 60s. Many bought vacant lots and abandoned factory areas - cheap
land. And then used lots of composted materials, which often tend to
concentrate heavy metals.
I can normally find anywhere from 200-220 volatile and semi-volatile
chemicals in any bee colony, including everything from 'natural' chemicals like
terpenes from trees and shrubs to industrial solvent and the BTEX
breakdown products of gasoline and diesel. So it all depends on what analyses you
run, what you are looking for.
Jerry
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