Bayer on Bees Part 3

Bayer on Bees Part 3

Bayer on Bees Part 3. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

Today we wrap up our chat with David Fischer, Bayer Crop Science Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment on a pair of recent articles published in Science magazine that pointed the finger at pesticides in the disappearance of honey bee and bumble bee colonies. Fischer says that in both studies the amount of neonicitinoids the bees were subjected to was much higher than what they would receive in the real world. But in the bumble bee study Fischer says there was a surprise.

FISCHER: We were surprised by the results that did indicate a very a very small change in colony size. That wasn’t all that surprising because that was almost non-statistically significant but there was a fairly distinct difference in the number of queens that were produced in the bumble bee colonies several weeks after they were moved out to the field.

While he says that was a bit surprising...

FISCHER: There are many different factors that can affect how many queens a bumble bee colony produces. Many factors besides potentially the test concentration or chemical that was evaluated in this test. This is a study we’re going to have to study some more within Bayer and compare it to some of the previous literature. As I said there’s other studies that have looked at exposure in a real field situation and also in laboratory situations that have not seen affects from Imidicloprid or other neonicitinoids at field relevant levels.

It is important during these studies that they mimic as closely as possible the natural conditions that the bees find themselves in normally. A lot of research has already been done and of course the studies are on-going. Bayer has made a huge commitment in the study of bees and have recently initiated a global “Bee Care Program” to further promote bee health. As part of the program, two dedicated “Bayer Bee Care Centers” are to be established. One in Monheim, Germany and the other in North Carolina. Dick Rogers is Bayer’s resident apiologist...and is also the manager of the U.S. Bee Care Center.

ROGERS: My work and the weight of evidence in the literature show no link to honey bee colony losses from exposure to field relevant residues of neonicitinoids. Many studies are looking for links to neonics but there are no definitive, reproducible studies that have produced evidence to support the often speculative conclusions. If neonics were truely involved in honey bee colony losses it would have become clear long before this.

Obviously there will be a lot more study and research done in this area and we have not heard the last word on the subject.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network. 

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