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Thanks Bev, June 26, 2014
For insect biodiversity, and perhaps much else, this will likely trump
the combined effects of all other environmental degradations.
For those who have facebook or equivalent please consider posting the
relevant URLs with comments.
As time permits I will tap resources at the Research Station to learn
more about this but it may be difficult. Entomology at Kentville in recent
years has been reduced from eleven researchers dedicated mostly to
Integrated Pest Management to one putting out brush fires.
As someone once remarked (in French I think); "The more I see of mankind
the more I like dogs."
Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bev Wigney" <bkwigney@gmail.com>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2014 2:25 PM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Neonicatinoids & Fibronil
> For further reading, I have linked to a paper stored as a .pdf on the
> Ontario Beekeepers' Association website (see link below).
>
> Speaking for myself, I find much of the information in this document
> to be very troubling. For one, the discussion of half-life in soil
> certainly raises a red flag as far as I'm concerned. See page 3.
> "For the most commonly used seed treatments, reported half-lives in
> soil typically range from 200 to in excess of 1000 days." There is
> more about the residue getting into groundwater and watersheds.
>
> I do wonder about all of this - not just with regard to bees, but
> other insects as well. This will be my fifth summer at my place
> outside Annapolis Royal. I have been putting out moth lights at night
> each summer. The first two summers here (2010 and 2011), I was quite
> thrilled by the moths coming to the lamps. Unfortunately, things have
> gone downhill since then. Last summer, I tried putting up different
> lights and it made no great improvement. Now I am at the point of
> barely feeling it worthwhile to bother anymore. I have puzzled over
> what is going on - if there was some kind of forestry spraying taking
> place that I was unaware of. More recently, I've considered
> neonicotinoids, but dismissed them as I did not think they would be in
> use nearby. However, upon more consideration, I realize that there
> are very large corn fields at probably well less than 500 meters
> distance as the bee flies. After reading the linked document, I'm
> thinking that is actually pretty close.
>
> Anyhow, here is the link to which I am referring:
>
> Journal of Applied Ecology 2013, 50, 977–987
> Review
> An overview of the environmental risks posedby neonicotinoid insecticides
> Dave Goulson
> Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling,
> Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
>
> http://www.ontariobee.com/sites/ontariobee.com/files/Goulson's_review_June_2013_J_appl_Ecol.pdf
>
> On 6/26/14, David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote:
>> Dear All,
>> Questions about Neonicatinoids & Fibronil came up recently just
>> before I
>> became aware of recent reports.
>>
>> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2014/06/25/clear-evidence-neonicotinoids-a-key-factor-in-bee-decline/
>>
>> When there is this much smoke there must be some fire. The practice
>> of
>> coating seeds with a systemic insecticide, that so I understand renders
>> all
>> tissue of that plant toxic to insects, is in itself sufficient to set off
>> my
>> alarm bells.
>>
>> The above coupled with-
>> http://qz.com/107970/scientists-discover-whats-killing-the-bees-and-its-worse-than-you-thought/
>>
>> show that use of pesticides should be governed by restraint.
>>
>> As an aside, much of the pioneering research in Biological Control
>> (AKA
>> Integrated Pest Control) was carried out at Kentville largely with the
>> objective, on principle, of using the least practicable quantity of
>> pesticide.
>>
>> Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
>
>
> -----
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