Neonic Pesticides - Not Just Really Good At Killing Bees, They're Useless In Improving Production

[hatrack]

EDIT

In its review, the Center for Food Safety included 19 scientific peer-reviewed studies that looked at whether the pesticides help farmers increase the number of bushels they can grow per acre. Of those, eight found no improvement and 11 said results were inconsistent.

Jonathon Lundgren, an agricultural scientist at the U.S. Agricultural research station in Brookings, S.D., described one of his studies, which he said is typical of all the independent, peer-reviewed research. He planted two different kinds of soybean seeds — one with and one without a coating of pesticides — for two years in a row. He found the same yield in each plot.

But he also kept track of insects. The soybean aphids, which were the target of the insecticide, were not affected at all, largely because the chemical had dissipated by the time they showed up in the field in mid-July, he said. But the ladybugs, lacewings and spiders that are that are the aphid’s natural enemies were affected, he said.

Not only was it not killing soybean aphids, but it also was harming the natural enemies that would have resisted aphids when they did arrive,” he said. Iain Kelly, head of North American Bee Health for Bayer, said that the company’s own research showed different results, though it hasn’t been published or peer reviewed by outside experts.

Ed. - Emphasis added.

EDIT

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/252104351.html

[Nihil]

1. The only things that such products are good for ...

... are the dreaded profit leeches - a particularly virulent & unpleasant invasive species
that destroys the environment for the sake of numbers on a spreadsheet ...