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Hi Nick & All, Apr 11, 2015
I don't pretend to know enough about this to reach an informed =
opinion. On one side there seems to be damming evidence (perhaps =
simplistic as sometimes is the case) and on the other side are =
statements such as--
"If bee health problems were critical in Canada, they would certainly =
have surfaced in the country=E2=80=99s 19 million acres of canola farms, =
which are mostly in the west. Beekeepers who forage their bees in the =
canola fields, where neonics are used far more heavily than on Ontario =
and Quebec farms, say their hives are generally thriving."=20
I find it difficult to reconcile the above quote, from the Forbes =
article, with the contrary 'scientific evidence'. Has the Canola =
experience been distorted or is there bias in much of the research to =
date ? Up to now I have signed many of the ban neonics petitions in =
circulation but I now have doubts and will likely pass in future.
I made a few inquiries last year and eventually learned, from an =
Entomologist with no further elaboration, that neonics are widely used =
in NS agriculture. Most just declined any comment.=20
One Strawberry grower who, as I recall, uses neonics on the first =
year fields and bees in nearby second and subsequent year fields has =
watched closely for problems, seen none, and the hive owner has also =
failed to see problems.=20
In a recent newspaper article, that featured a Greenwich bee keeper, =
I came away with the impression that excessive mortality, over and above =
the long-standing normal, was not a problem in his hives.
If and when a sufficient body of practical experience and ground =
truth does not agree with conventional wisdom based on research then =
there is something wrong with the research. Sometimes research is =
slanted to prove a point or to get results quickly and both may impede =
isolation of the truth. That brown pearl, often hidden in a large =
steaming mound of BS, is easily overlooked.
YT, Dave Webster
=20
=20
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Nicholas Hill=20
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2015 9:19 PM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] neonics
Forbes business magazine's Opinion section might have inherent bias.
Google Scholar search engine brings up a good number of articles =
linking the decline to this type of pesticide. Look at the PNAS study =
2013 by Di Prisco et al that gets at possible mechanisms whereby the =
bees immune system is compromised by the neonicotinoid clothianidin. So =
while the Forbes article says pesticide is far down on the list and it =
draws attention to bacteria, viruses and mites, the PNAS study is =
suggesting that neonicotinoids weaken immunity and so one would expect =
bees to be more susceptible to parasites.
NMH
On Fri, Apr 10, 2015 at 7:38 PM, David & Alison Webster =
<dwebster@glinx.com> wrote:
Dear All, Apr 10, =
2015
I just noticed this which would suggest neonics to have little or =
no effect in an Agricultural context. Home and Garden usage may be more =
detrimental; my guess only and based on the widespread belief that if =
some is good then more is better.
=
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2014/02/05/bee-deaths-reversal-as-e=
vidence-points-away-from-neonics-as-driver-pressure-builds-to-rethink-ban=
/
Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville=20
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<DIV>Hi Nick & All, =
=20
=
=20
Apr 11, 2015</DIV>
<DIV> I don't pretend to know enough about this to =
reach an=20
informed opinion. On one side there seems to be damming evidence =
(perhaps=20
simplistic as sometimes is the case) and on the other side are =
statements such=20
as--</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"TEXT-ALIGN: left; WIDOWS: 1; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; =
BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline =
!important; FONT: 18px/24px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; =
WHITE-SPACE: normal; FLOAT: none; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: =
rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">"If=20
bee health problems were critical in Canada, they would certainly have =
surfaced=20
in the country=E2=80=99s 19 million acres of canola farms, which are =
mostly in the west.=20
Beekeepers who forage their bees in the canola fields, where neonics are =
used=20
far more heavily than on Ontario and Quebec farms, say their hives are =
generally=20
thriving." </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"TEXT-ALIGN: left; WIDOWS: 1; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; =
BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline =
!important; FONT: 18px/24px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; =
WHITE-SPACE: normal; FLOAT: none; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: =
rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: =
0px"> =20
<FONT size=3D3 face=3DArial>I find it difficult to reconcile =
the above=20
quote, from the Forbes article, with the contrary 'scientific=20
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=20
style=3D"TEXT-ALIGN: left; WIDOWS: 1; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; =
BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline =
!important; FONT: 18px/24px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; =
WHITE-SPACE: normal; FLOAT: none; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: =
rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"><FONT=20
size=3D3 face=3DArial>evidence'. Has the Canola experience been =
distorted or is=20
there bias in much of the research to date ? Up to now I have signed =
many of the=20
ban neonics petitions in circulation but I now have doubts and will =
likely=20
pass in future.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"TEXT-ALIGN: left; WIDOWS: 1; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; =
BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline =
!important; FONT: 18px/24px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; =
WHITE-SPACE: normal;