Hello Bill & All,

Problem is, it is the same Arsenic concentration they have
> been drinking for the past 200 years with no ill effects,

No provable ill effects! Death makes the news! sub lethal doses of arsenic
is of little concern to the powers that be.

I always wondered why you Maine beekeepers talked with an accent? (kidding 
Bill!)

We have got atrazine in our
water supply. The water company assures us the water is safe but I drink
bottled water. Also every time I go into the water company office to pay my
water bill the girls are all drinking bottled water. A friend of mine which
works in the office tells me every time they see me pull up they all hide
their bottled water.

My friend at times calls me and tells me things are getting boring at the
water office why not come in for a visit.

I tell the water dept. girls:
" Your water is so bad you have to drink bottled water?"


> Our bees may have been happily thriving with a load of unseen chemicals
> for years,

 Thriving?

I would never say* happily thriving*

. many large hive die offs  have been at times of introductions of new
pesticides. Twenty years ago Last year is the infamous anniversary of Penn 
cap
M.

Penn cap M. was unlike any pesticide beekeepers( certainly myself)  had ever
seen before . tens of thousands of hives were lost. Both national
organizations fought an all out war to ban its use. I donated a substantial
amount to the cause but Penn cap M. is still around.

In my opinion beekeepers will end up having to live with the new
neonicotinoids ( as we do now with penncap M.)by doing as Peter B. says by
moving away from treated crops. Also trying to prove losses  through testing
to get reimbursed and get chemical companies to ban use of neonicotinoids on
certain crops bees visit.

Beekeepers are smarter now ( what's left at least) than in the days of the
old indemnity program. A program partly pushed through with the chemical
company help so the U.S. tax payers would pay for beekeeper losses instead
of the chemical companies and the applicators. ( and now you know the rest
of the story). A few of us saw what was happening but figured out getting
the chemical companies to pay for losses would be a hard row to hoe and
getting pesticide dead out claims faster would be a better way to go.

I actually approached the chemical industry about using their clout to get
reimbursement for the CCD dead outs but only minor interest right now. Maybe
next year.

The big difference between now and back then is that the U.S. beekeepers
have got the public on their side. juries are in the habit of taking large
sums of money from big corporations and giving to the little guy. Maybe John
Edwards would help beekeepers. Big corps have lost a fortune in trials he
has done! Last but not least we have got better ways to prove our case
through new technology.

Under the old indemnity program we called up the inspector , he came out and
simply looked at a hive with a bunch of dead bees out front , the beekeeper
was paid and life went on. The USDA did not even try to figure out the
pesticide or the applicator which caused the problem.

Things are very different today.

bob


-- 
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean.

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************