Sulfoxaflor is a new systemic pesticide from the sulfamine family. While it is not a neonicotinoid, it is systemic pesticide that targets the same neural receptors as the neonicotinoids. Without any prior notice to beekeepers, the EPA announced in June 2012, that it would grant a section 18 (emergency permission to use an unregistered product) for use on cotton in four southern states: Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana. The EPA has recently announced the opening of the public comment period on sulfoxaflor. The EPA plans to grant sulfoxaflor a conditional registration despite many serious unresolved questions as to its safety and consequences not only for the honeybees but for the wider environment as well. Is this a repeat process, or lack thereof, regarding the neonicotinoid, Clothianidin? In this special series called “The Neonicotinoid Viewâ€, host, June Stoyer talks to beekeeper and bee advocate, Tom Theobald about the controversy surrounding the conditional registration of this pesticide. Stay tuned!

Tom Theobald | sulfoxaflor | Clothianidin | neonicotinoids | honeybees