Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 10:51 PM
Subject: [BEE-L] Pesticides blamed for vanishing bees


> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/6245639/Pesticides-blamed-for-vanishing-bees.html

Whenever i see this type of hypothesis I ask myself is there enough science
( does not have to be a smoking gun) available which points to the
hypothesis being at the very least included on the list of possible causes
for bee decline.

I think there is. We have proof the bees are ingesting through both water,
nectar and pollen the neonicotinoids.
The *only* question which remains is what effects *in real field situations*
do the effects have.

Hopefully future research will either vindicate or condemn the
neonicotinoids.

I personally would rather my bees were not subjected to ingesting the
neonicotinoids.

Consider if my cattle watered in a river and the plant up stream was
dropping chemicals into the water my cattle drink and my cattle were dying
would I not have a case? Of course if the plant had deep pockets then the
plant would fight saying my cattle died from natural causes or whatever else
their lawyers could come up with. Their lawyers would say yes there are some
of their chemicals in the water but not in a high enough concentration to
cause problems (usually studies the plant paid for).

The rancher would say in reply that his cattle were not dying until the
plant started up. I think the cattle scenario kind of shows a simplified
version of the issue using cattle as the issue. If you substitute humans for
cattle the issue gets top priority. If you substitute honeybees and native
pollinators then the importance factor in Washington drops. Toss some money
in the direction of the issue ( without stepping on the toes of big
corporations of course) and problems solved in many of our legislators
minds.

My two cents worth.

bob

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