It's the bee's knees: Buzz over neonics

Searching for answers: An Oregon State University researcher collects 'nurse bees' to analyse the bee blood to determine the effects of pesticides on the insects' immune systems. The research could be useful in determining why large numbers of bees have been dying recently. - AFP

Insecticide makers defend the use of a class of insecticide called neonicotinoids, which critics blame for the alarming rate of bee colony deaths.

Kristy Allen and Mark O’Rourke are bee ambassadors with deceptively similar messages. Allen, founder of a small business called the Beez Kneez, pedals through the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St Paul, in the US state of Minnesota) selling honey from a bike trailer and handing out lawn signs that read: “Healthy bees, healthy lives”. O’Rourke, a seed-treatment specialist for Bayer Crop Science, travels the country with sleek interactive displays to promote the company’s insecticides and its views on honeybee health.