The latest research from Italy:
At the 25th Italian Congress of Professional Beekeepers in Sorento,
Jan. 21 - 26,2009, two scientists from University in Padova presented
those in attendance with amazing proof that the talk around the water
cooler, now has some substance and only the blind and the deaf can
now argue against it... (And those with their own agendas?!)
Prof. Vincenco Girolami, Univ. Padova, has proved beyond any doubt,
that many insecticides which are used to treat seeds are deathly
dangerous to all insects and other living things - not only bees. He
also mentioned that the research needed to allow the use of those
chemicals was made in haste in is flawed. He also talks about
excuses that the sowing machines ware faulty and that bonding agents
were wrong or not bonding properly. (Many were, but that is not the
point)
They found that the sprouting/growing plants, (Corn in this case)
create/leach through active growing period, on its leaves, tiny drops
of watter-like liquid, which is seen/known as dew and is highly desirable
to all insects, as a form of water. (To many - the only form of
water!)
Bees are very found of this, slightly sweet dew, and they
collect it "en mass" in early morning, before the sun and wind dry
it up.
If the seeds of corn, or other crop, ware treated with insecticides,
that insecticide is contained in this dew and is highly toxic to
visiting insects.
It has been proven that this "morning dew" is deadly for bees! If a
bee drinks it - it will die within 2 to 10 minutes!
If it only tastes it - it will die within 20 to 40 minutes!
Professor Andrea Tapiro, university of Padova, did collect this dew
and analyzed it. It shoved that it contained insecticide which
contains neonicotinoids and concentration in her sample contained 10
mg, to one litre of this morning dew.
Known fact is, that that contaminant is deadly to bees and other life
in much, much smaller amounts!!!
They even made a video where they planted treated seeds and collected
those drops of dew and fed them to bees. The results are self-
explanatory. . .
http://firenze.repubblica.it/multimedia/home/4468701?ref=rephpsp4If anyone would a more thorough info on this, such can be had from the above mentioned professors and the University of Padova.
Apparently it is also widely available on Internet. . .