[ExI] bees again

[spike]

>... On Behalf Of BillK
Subject: Re: [ExI] bees again

On Sun, May 19, 2013 at 3:42 PM, spike wrote:
>>... OK so we have now an ongoing experiment where Europe has banned 
> neonics to see if that can stop the decline of honeybees.  We can now 
> compare Europe with America to get some actual data, cool.


>...The ban is not yet in force. They say 'sometime before the end of 2013'.

>...They have only banned the three most common neonics, imidacloprid,
clothianidin and thiamethoxam...

What would have possibly been even better if Europe had gotten together and
worked a deal such that each country banned a different subset of neonics:
one ban everything, one ban nothing, each of the others banning some
combination of imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, acetamiprid and
thiacloprid.  Then we get a bunch of volunteer proles interested in this
sort of thing, European counterparts of me, and have them use their eyes.  A
pattern would likely emerge.

>...And the ban is only on crops which are 'attractive to bees' ...

We could likewise create a checkerboard pattern from which a signal might
arise, given sufficient observation data.  It might even be done without an
actual ban, but rather with selective voluntary incentives to use one kind
of pesticide or another.  For instance, Europe hipsters, do you guys have
something analogous to our Walmart?  Some super discount store which might
carry pesticide?  If so, we can work with this.  Farmers work on remarkably
narrow profit margins, so they will be incentivized to save even a few
euros.  We get the pesticide Walmart equivalent to sell imidacloprid cheaper
in southwestern France, acetamiprid cheaper in eastern Poland, etc.  Get the
competitors to do likewise.  Track what chemicals are sold, when and where.

Data emerges.

>... Haven't you heard the saying 'There's never just one cockroach!'   :)
BillK

_______________________________________________

I wouldn't want the ugly bastard to be lonely.

spike