Are neonicotinoid pesticides responsible for the demise of bees and other wildlife?

[prakel]

I think it's a shame that there have been so many threads recently which have taken a rather agressive tone due to differing views with regards to the neonics debate.

When a man can echo Kirk Webster by writing the following...

My own experience demonstrates that there are cleverer ways of operating than killing every last living thing on your land that you can't sell. Most of those beasties are beneficial, and if they're not you should probably think why not and change your system rather them zapping them.

he needs to be recognized as a thinker which means, to me, that he's probably got a lot of insights which are worth listenng to. The problem is the way that people are tending to present their arguments; each camp taking unmovable positions when no one actually knows for certain -there would be no debate if absolute conclusive proof was available.

OK, I personally tend to believe that there are far greater dangers to the bees than are being addressed in this debate but I stand by what I've written before with regards to keeping an open mind untill such time as those who are cleverer than myself have presented their conclusive proof one way or another -even then, varroa and nosema will still be the major contributing factors to any general downturn (supposed or real) in bee health. The problem is that I'm starting to feel alienated from both camps because of the way some of the information is being presented not only here but on other forums too.