Comments on: High schoolers win C-SPAN video competition with “Requiem for the Honeybee” http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/12/high-schoolers-win-c-span-video-competition-with-requiem-for-the-honeybee/                                     A tale of a beekeeper to be in the time of "CCD" Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:41:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Jim McNitt http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/12/high-schoolers-win-c-span-video-competition-with-requiem-for-the-honeybee/#comment-379 Jim McNitt Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:26:38 +0000 http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/12/high-schoolers-win-c-span-video-competition-with-requiem-for-the-honeybee/#comment-379 in response to: <a href="http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/13/eliza-mcnitt-wins-science-competition-for-tracing-pesticide-path-in-honey-production/" rel="nofollow">http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/13/eliza-mcnitt-wins-science-competition-for-tracing-pesticide-path-in-honey-production/ </a> Hi: The 2008 newspaper report is correct. In her pesticide research last year, Eliza found no traces of Imidacloprid in the honey samples. In essence, her intention was to explore whether or not Imidacloprid (and other pesticides) entered the human food chain via honey. She determined this is not happening. While researching pesticides in honey, however, she became interested in CCD. This year, with CCD in mind, she focused on the presence of Imidacloprid in the apiary. Here's what she learned: No Imidacloprid traces in pollen, honey or bee bread samples collected from the Bartlett Arboretum hive. No Imidacloprid internally within the bees–although apparently she feels more testing is necessary before this finding should be considered conclusive. Substantial concentrations of Imidacloprid on the bee extremities--antennae, wings, legs -- as well as in the bee's wax. Here's an automatic download link to a MS Word copy of Eliza's 2008 Research http://files.me.com/jimmcnitt/6glt6e Why doesn't the Imidacloprid show up in the honey? Dave Mendes, a major commercial beekeeper and vice-president of the American Beekeepers Association, told us that he thinks this may because pesticide molecules bond poorly with carbohydrates, but very well with protein. I have no idea if there's any scientific validity to this, but it's the only plausible explanation I've heard. It should be stressed that the hive Eliza researched has not experienced CCD. But her work does prove that while collecting pollen, worker bees introduce Imidacloprid into the hive where, at the very least, it contaminates the bee's wax cells in which surround developing larvae and very likely contaminates the other bees in the hive as well. The HPLC equipment at GHS, by the way, was donated by corporations after Eliza's chemistry teacher made a compelling argument that it would be more rewarding to give their "obsolete" equipment to GHS that to sell it in the second-hand marketplace. Best, Jim McNitt in response to: http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/13/eliza-mcnitt-wins-science-competition-for-tracing-pesticide-path-in-honey-production/

Hi:

The 2008 newspaper report is correct. In her pesticide research last year, Eliza found no traces of Imidacloprid in the honey samples.

In essence, her intention was to explore whether or not Imidacloprid (and other pesticides) entered the human food chain via honey. She determined this is not happening. While researching pesticides in honey, however, she became interested in CCD.

This year, with CCD in mind, she focused on the presence of Imidacloprid in the apiary. Here’s what she learned:

No Imidacloprid traces in pollen, honey or bee bread samples collected from the Bartlett Arboretum hive.

No Imidacloprid internally within the bees–although apparently she feels more testing is necessary before this finding should be considered conclusive.

Substantial concentrations of Imidacloprid on the bee extremities–antennae, wings, legs — as well as in the bee’s wax.

Here’s an automatic download link to a MS Word copy of Eliza’s 2008 Research

http://files.me.com/jimmcnitt/6glt6e

Why doesn’t the Imidacloprid show up in the honey?

Dave Mendes, a major commercial beekeeper and vice-president of the American Beekeepers Association, told us that he thinks this may because pesticide molecules bond poorly with carbohydrates, but very well with protein. I have no idea if there’s any scientific validity to this, but it’s the only plausible explanation I’ve heard.

It should be stressed that the hive Eliza researched has not experienced CCD. But her work does prove that while collecting pollen, worker bees introduce Imidacloprid into the hive where, at the very least, it contaminates the bee’s wax cells in which surround developing larvae and very likely contaminates the other bees in the hive as well.

The HPLC equipment at GHS, by the way, was donated by corporations after Eliza’s chemistry teacher made a compelling argument that it would be more rewarding to give their “obsolete” equipment to GHS that to sell it in the second-hand marketplace.

Best,
Jim McNitt

]]> By: pollinatethis.org Beekeeper’s Blog » Blog Archive » Eliza McNitt wins science competition for tracing pesticide path in honey production http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/12/high-schoolers-win-c-span-video-competition-with-requiem-for-the-honeybee/#comment-376 pollinatethis.org Beekeeper’s Blog » Blog Archive » Eliza McNitt wins science competition for tracing pesticide path in honey production Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:31:43 +0000 http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/12/high-schoolers-win-c-span-video-competition-with-requiem-for-the-honeybee/#comment-376 [...] “found no trace of another insecticide called Imidacloprid”… Jim McNitt commented on my first, however, that Eliza in fact won two science awards, which he reports on his blog. He also writes [...] […] “found no trace of another insecticide called Imidacloprid”… Jim McNitt commented on my first, however, that Eliza in fact won two science awards, which he reports on his blog. He also writes […]

]]> By: Jim McNitt http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/12/high-schoolers-win-c-span-video-competition-with-requiem-for-the-honeybee/#comment-372 Jim McNitt Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:20:36 +0000 http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/12/high-schoolers-win-c-span-video-competition-with-requiem-for-the-honeybee/#comment-372 <a href="http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/13/eliza-mcnitt-wins-science-competition-for-tracing-pesticide-path-in-honey-production/" rel="nofollow">http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/13/eliza-mcnitt-wins-science-competition-for-tracing-pesticide-path-in-honey-production/</a> On Thurs., Eliza won the top two prizes in Life Science at the Connecticut Science Fair for her project "Shedding Light on Imidacloprid's Role in Colony Collapse Disorder." See this link: http://www.jimmcnitt.com/Site2/Blog/Entries/2009/3/13_And_the_winner_of_the_2009_Connecticut_Science_Fair_Is.....html I'll put a pdf of Eliza's 2008 work online for you and post a link here. http://pollinatethis.org/beeblog/2009/03/13/eliza-mcnitt-wins-science-competition-for-tracing-pesticide-path-in-honey-production/

On Thurs., Eliza won the top two prizes in Life Science at the Connecticut Science Fair for her project “Shedding Light on Imidacloprid’s Role in Colony Collapse Disorder.” See this link:

http://www.jimmcnitt.com/Site2/Blog/Entries/2009/3/13_And_the_winner_of_the_2009_Connecticut_Science_Fair_Is…..html

I’ll put a pdf of Eliza’s 2008 work online for you and post a link here.

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