Re: http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Imidacloprid/

> l usually agree with Allen, but this time l have to point out that
> imidacloprid IS ALREADY available in North America, including Canada. The
> sites given below will enlighten Allen (for his site) and others that the
> Mad Bee Disease may already be upon us, disguised as virus effects of varroa?

Well, I don't think that we are in disagreement at all.  We know it is here.
There are 21 posts on BEE-L referring to imidacloprid and many mention its use
in North America.  (see http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?S1=bee-l and
search for 'imidacloprid').

The point is that Imadacloprid has been in *limited* use, AFAIK, mostly in
non-bee forage applications.  Granted soil residues and crop rotation to major
nectar producing crops on treated soil have been a threat during this period.
In fact, a visiting French beekeeper this summer reported to me having observed
symptoms of imidacloprid-influenced behaviour in bees he saw in southern Alberta
while travelling.

BUT...

What is happening now is that imidacloprid is now approved for =direct use= with
*canola* which is a major crop and a major -- and unavoidable -- nectar source
for Canadian beekeepers.  Moreover, with the withdrawal of Lindane due to its
non-use in the USA, imidacloprid-bearing products may be the ONLY seed treatment
used on canola in Canada before long.

See 'media articles' on the 'reading list page at
http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Imidacloprid/ .
Or go direct to
http://www.producer.com/articles/19991021/production/19991021prod01.html

What I am warning about is that imidacloprid will be =everywhere= in vast
quantities very soon.  Perhaps it will appear at detectable levels even in
honey, since the product is systemic. This would be a disaster.

I guess what really frightens me is that Cynthia Scott-Dupree, who is the head
of The Canadian Association of Apiculturalists (CAPA) has been working closely
with BAYER and just okayed the product -- according to the news article below.
I would have expected her to be our *defender* if there is any doubt or risk and
to wait for Canadian trials in Canadian conditions.

"...But Scott-Dupree said research showed negligible levels of residue in
France. She is waiting for results of tests done in Canada".

Maybe there is no significant risk, but it seems to me that there is *clearly*
doubt and risk. It also seems obvious to me that these doubts and risks cannot
have not been sufficiently addressed to permit rolling out the product into
geographical areas where it has not been tested.

----- begin excerpt from Western Producer article ------

Tests OK insecticide; beekeepers skeptical

Canadian beekeepers shouldn't worry about the insecticide Gaucho, says a
professor of entomology at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

Cynthia Scott-Dupree performed tests on large-scale commercial plantings of
canola seed treated with Gaucho.

"We've looked at the impact of these treatments on honeybees in terms of their
foraging activity, mortality of adult bees, honey production and behavior,"
Scott-Dupree said.

"There was no impact on bee behavior by any products we tested."

----- end of clip --------

Much more follows.  See original article at
http://www.producer.com/articles/20001109/news/20001109news15.html )

All this is really bad news if there is any truth to what beekeepers have
reported from real-world experience and we've just been hit hard from behind.

I feel like an ant watching a steam roller coming.

Thanks for the links.  I'll be using them.

allen