The curious story of Premise Plus Nature (TM)
That doesn't mean to say that Bayer can't make mistakes. They operate in a world which society creates for them. If there isn't enough rigour in the licensing system, then it's not their fault if products are licensed for use that meet licensing standards. Nor is it their fault if they are profit driven because again, that is what society requires of them.
Hi Karol, I see your point. But maybe you need to distinguish between the sections of Bayer that produce medicines and the ones that produce pesticides. These are quite different entities.
You seem to believe that Bayer Crop Science is not aware how damaging their products might be for bees. You have not seen this article yet:
Premise Plus Nature Equals Value Added Termite Control
March 1, 1997
[SIZE=-1]Countless weapons have been created over the years in attempts to win the war against termites. Some kill on contact, others repel termites, but all share the goal of structural protection. Throughout the search to find the perfect weapon even nature has been unsuccessful, until now. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1] Premise® Insecticide, introduced by Bayer Corporation in 1996, works synergistically with nature to provide value-added termite control. Premise Plus Nature,TM the term the manufacturer uses to describe the product's unique mode of action, affects termites by making them susceptible to infection, disease and death by naturally occurring organisms.
HOW IT WORKS.
With Premise there are two modes of action at work. At moderate to high exposure levels, Premise causes termites to stop feeding, stop grooming, become disoriented and die. Premise Plus Nature takes over at lower exposure levels. Unlike contact mortality and repellent barrier termiticides, this unique mode of action puts Premise in a category all its own.
Like germs that cause illness and disease in humans, microorganisms, especially fungi naturally present in the soil, cause disease in termites. Fungal spores attach themselves to the termite cuticle, germinate, penetrate and eventually cause death. But thanks to Mother Nature, termites have found ways to survive in this hostile soil environment.
The termites' habit of grooming themselves and other termites in the colony is a principle part of their defense systems. This instinctive habit enables termites to virtually eliminate the threat of the fungi; termites remove the spores before they can germinate and cause disease.
Premise Plus Nature disrupts this natural defense process. After exposure to Premise, termites no longer groom themselves or take care of each other. Premise interferes with their methods of combating fungi and, in the end, they will succumb to disease and death.
"Grooming offers termites a shield to protect themselves. But when grooming stops and the shield is down, infection takes over," said David Price, a biologist at Bayer Corporation's Vero Beach, Fla., laboratory. "With Premise, termites don't get the chance to fight back."
SEEING IS BELIEVING.
Visitors to the Bayer booth at the National Pest Control Association's convention and trade show in San Diego in October had the opportunity to witness Premise Plus Nature in action. Live demonstrations showed the one-day, two-day and five-day effects Premise has on termites.
"With the demonstrations you can see how Premise Plus Nature works," said Price. "You can see that the exposed ter-mites no longer feed or groom. You can even watch the termites die."
Research has been conducted at the University of Florida to examine the synergy between Premise and nature, specifically the termite's natural defense system. In one specific study, glass cover slips were sprayed with fungal spores and placed in the feeding and tunneling areas of laboratory termite colonies. In the control colony where Premise was not applied, the spores were removed by termite activity in a few hours. This scenario mimics what happens with termites in the soil on a day-to-day basis; termites destroy fungi by grooming themselves and each other which keeps their soil environment clean.
In the environment where Premise was present, the fungi began developing in just one day. The termites did not re-move the spores. In an outside environment, these spores would proceed to attach themselves to the termites, germinate and cause death.
Research illustrates how Premise interferes with feeding, grooming and colony maintenance in such a way that termites can't protect themselves from pathogenic fungi.
"Premise Plus Nature means value-added termite control," said Dr. Mike Ruizzo, pest control research product manager for Bayer Corporation. "Premise allows nature to take over and destroy the termites."
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http://www.pctonline.com/Article.aspx?article_id=39807
The active ingredient in Premise is Imidacloprid, a neonic that's widely used on crops visited by bees.
Bayer prides itself that this product kills termites
directly and indirectly (Premise Plus Nature trademark!), but claims that it didn't test if this product would also harm bees. (I have got Julian Little's quote somewhere ...)
Karol, any genuine beekeeper who reads this must become suspicious and say:
hang on a minute, don't we have bees now succumbing to anything that comes along, isn't their natural defense system wrecked?
Surely that's the natural reaction and now you know that
Bayer knew all along, at least since 1997 (See date of the article).
Sorry to have to disillusion you, Karol.
And maybe in the not so distant future, when you realize that some who call themselves beekeepers just won't stop opposing your most laudable initiative to find the truth, you will understand me a bit better.
Doris
By the way, for posting this article in my blog on SBAi I was severely reprimanded by Gavin who is the administrator on that forum and I had my right to post blogs withdrawn.
Don't beekeepers have the right and duty to share this knowledge?
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