And these are fields that get a lot of insecticides. I was out in those fields and there were basically no bees, no insects of any kind. The center will conduct more rounds of pollen tests this year to get a better feel for common flow levels. Sundstrom also plans to test nearby bee hives to see how much GM pollen bees may be carrying and if they are actually the culprits. Before companies can really say they're doing an adequate job of isolation, we have to know what tolerances they have to meet.
Seed companies prefer more standardized tolerances for new traits.
Officials with Aventis CropScience, the company that created StarLink, say representatives from Aventis and from seed companies that sold StarLink hybrids are contacting producers who grew the hybrids in 2000 to make sure they control volunteer plants. Fields that adjoined StarLink hybrids are also suspect. If plants in those fields received StarLink pollen, 2001-season volunteers may also carry the trait. In continuous corn, the treatment is more complicated. Volunteers will tolerate Liberty herbicide.