Neonicotinoids vote

Let’s hope it goes the right way.

 

Good news!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/27/eu-agrees-total-ban-on-bee-harming-pesticides

 

Nor will the public be happy....food prices will rise dramatically according to the farmers. Controlling pernicious weeds will be very difficult to impossible for many. Here I have eradicated serious perennial weeds....using glyphosate discreetly and in a very limited way.
Not sure the evidence is convincing enough and I have read and listened to both sides of the argument

 

I think you are confused, @Verdun . Neonicotinoids are pesticides used mainly as a seed treatment against sucking insects with knock on effects on other insects, particularly pollinating insects. Glyphosate is not a neonic but a herbicide.
See this article.
Neonicotinoid - Wikipedia

I don’t think the extension to the ban will have much effect on food prices except for sugar because from what I understand is the ban is already in place and the extension will now include sugar beet.

 

Oh! I stand corrected Redwing . Thanks(dont think anyone noticed!!)
More haste less speed...I automatically connected with the decision re glyphosate

 

According to the new regulations neonics use will still be allowed in commercial greenhouses in the EU. Studies have shown up to 70% of garden centre plants contain neonics, including those marketed as "bee friendly". I will be interested to learn if and how this changes.

 

Well maybe its time to go back to the old, really dangerous pesticides that were used in the 70,and 80s, cant remember a bee problem then.
But we were told they were very dangerous stuff and the EU set about banning most of them, and newer ones were much better.

Now the very same lot are banning the newer ones, I'm not sure I understand what is going on, but I am a bit slow on the uptake sometimes

 

The really dangerous DDTs in use up to the late 60s I think, were terrible for all sorts of reasons. I used to think pesticides had got safer in the 80s and 90s. Now I think they just have different bad ones.

 

Is there any such thing as a safe chemical that you can use, I'm guessing the answer is NO.
I even think some of the organic ideas are not really safe, lets face it growing plants in cow poo has got to be pretty nasty bacteria wise.
As with normal living, it's about balancing the advantages against the disadvantages.

Lets face it, if we really want to care for wildlife and, people for that matter, we should ban all cars and lorries on the roads.
The truth is if we want to keep over populating this world something has got to give.
But no one wants to tackle the real issue IMO.

 

Do we need to go back to using mercury as a seed dressing

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjw_d_Tkt3aAhVHLsAKHShCBsYQFghHMAM&url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4615-8437-7_1&usg=AOvVaw0zn2dq_qW0HyXiUB8iGGi-

 

Bit of a strange one that, cant remember using that myself.
But I do remember malathion, still used I believe in other countries, I also remember a specific aphid killer that didn't kill bees, or ladybirds, used that on broad beans.

Red spider mite, one of the worst IMO, nothing avilible to the amatuer works these days,repeat spraying of nasty stuff that has no effect.
But if you want to spray your chickens or rabbits, you can get it.

Just think the EU dont really have much of a clue, but nothing new there.

Lots of very useful fungicides that were a one off treatment have now been banned, so we spray relentlessly with stuff that basically doesn't work, but just might have some effect.