[ExI] bees again

[spike]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of BillK

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

>...And the ban is only on crops which are 'attractive to bees' and on
cereals planted in the summer which cause dust clouds of toxic chemicals to
be released. Neonicotinoids can still be used on winter crops, when bees are
dormant, and in greenhouses...BillK

_______________________________________________

BillK, your post gave me a thought which has me worried.  Fruit and nut
crops are bee-dependent, but corn and grains are not.  So if there is a
general failure of all insect-dependent crops, the price of grain goes up.
The people who produce those crops produce it in astonishing quantities,
such as the Oregon friend with the solar panels.  The profit margin on grain
tends to be small.  If the price of grain goes up just a little, those guys
make a ton of money.  So potato growers and cereal producers could benefit
from bee destruction, because it would raise the price of grain.  

I don't know this for sure, but I think the US produces more cereal grain
than does Europe.  The US west coast and California's central valley has all
those nut orchards and fruit groves.  So if there is a general failure of
the bee culture, California may be ruined but US agriculture may actually
benefit, which may compel the non-California US farmers to influence the
legislature to not ban bee-harmful substances.

Oy.

spike