If you don't believe me, ask me!

[Perry]

Two things I found interesting in this article:

# 1 - Why the EPA is requiring all these tests now be done after having long since approved the product.
# 2 - Look at who carried out these tests, hardly comforting.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/neonic-crops-1.3391421

[kebee]

 Yes I saw that and though it was good until I saw who was doing the testing.

Ken

[Jen]

"Bayer has long maintained its pesticides are safe"

Eeeewwww! 

[Retroguy]

I hate it when the fox gets to guard the hen house.

[neillsayers]

This has always been a bone of contention with the EPA. They don't have the funding to independently test so the manufacturer is required to do the testing. The same is true with the FDA. Basically, we are all guinea pigs and in this case it's the bees and beekeepers are the guinea pigs. It blows my mind every time I see a lawyers ad looking for clients that have been injured by a drug that is still on the market!

[Ray]

What neillsayers said!
I didn't see anything in the article about synergistic pesticide interactions.

[LazyBkpr]

Synergistic....   they are not required to test that...  Unfortunately..    The last time I read about a test of a certain pesticide.. the company (bayer)  put a couple hives on a plot of treated canola that measured 100 by 300 feet...   Did the bees even USE a plot that small? I was astounded that the EPA could be such idiots as to accept a test like that, but accept it they did..
   For a company that has often announced that they are concerned about the welfare of the bees to do a test like that, is proof enough to me that they are only concerned about the money. If they wanted to do a real test, JUST about ANY beekeeper alive could have designed something that might have shown real results.