[log in to unmask] wrote:
> Jerry, were the pesticide levels in pollen from these areas 
> dangerously high for human consuption of such pollen?  
>   
If it was not strong enough to kill the bees, then you are safe.The 
state of science now is we no longer look at ppm or ppb but can get 
further down than that with some measuring equipment. It is like a drop 
of whatever in a swimming pool. Not very toxic.

Remember, Jerry said that he has found pesticide residue in most all bee 
colonies, so you and I have it also, especially if you have neighbors 
within two miles. Check the lawn and garden section of any store and the 
stuff on the shelves is scary, especially since the buyer does not need 
a pesticide license. I feel my bees would be safer on a farm than in 
suburbia.

> I read that exposure to sun and heat 
> causes many chemical compounds to break down.
Usually water is as, or more, important. More often than we would like, 
some of the breakdown products can actually be worse than the original 
compound. As in all things chemical, gotta look it up to see what 
happens. That will also tell you the half-life of the pesticide and the 
conditions needed for different breakdown times.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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