Although the controversy over the role of pesticides in Colony Collapse Disorder is still going strong, “I’ve seen no data, or metadata, linking huge losses of honey bees in the U.S. to any single insecticide, neonicotinoid or otherwise,” says Jeff Harris, Mississippi State University Extension/Research Apiculturist.
“Certainly, you can do experiments in the lab or in semi-field plot tests to show these materials kill bees, or adversely affect their physiology,” says Harris, who spent 15 years as a bee breeder and researcher at the USDA Honey Bee Laboratory at Baton Rouge, La., before coming to MSU three years ago. Continue reading
Filed under: news | Tagged: bee health, colony collapse disorder, Honey bee laboratory, neonics, pollinator protection | Leave a comment »