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Introduction |
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As other insecticides are phased out -- due mainly to concerns about their safety -- increasingly products containing Imidacloprid (Ref #1 , Ref#2) are approved in their place. Many, if not most agricultural consultants regard imidacloprid as promising and quite safe for the user, for the consumer, and for the environment. However, recently, partly as a result of beekeeper experience in France in particular, and Europe generally, partly because of new techniques to measure residues and detect effects, and partly due to questions about the quality of the research proving imidacloprid safe, concerns have been surfacing about the potential dangers to the environment and to both natural and managed pollinators. Increasingly alarms are being raised that this chemical is systemic, persistent and damaging in subtle ways to bees at lower exposure levels than previously imagined. As a result, public protests in Europe have made the news and increased scrutiny is being directed towards the research that has been used to support the claims of safety. Demands are being made for proof that the science behind the new approvals is both independent and good science. The purpose of this site is to examine the issues fearlessly from all sides. Let the chips fall where they may. |