Kent,

Again I did not say that all chemicals are bad or should be banned. I believe that we should use the least toxic chemicals for each problem. Malathion kills beneficial insects such as bees as well as the pests. And it does not kill just the bees that touch the contaminated flowers, they take it back to the hive and it kills the entire hive. My friends who keep bees for the honey cannot use Malathion in their garden just for that reason. They use Rotenone with great success and it is far less toxic. That is why I believe the more toxic chemicals should be reserved as a last resort for a pest problem rather than the first line of defense. I do not use any chemicals on my own garden, but I am not trying to earn a living by growing produce and a small amount of insect damage in inconsequential to me. The cost of the sprayer and chemicals would far outweigh the cost of a bit of insect damage to my small home garden. I do realize that this is not the case of someone whose livelihood depends on that produce. Again, I do believe that we should take the least toxic approach to the problem. All chemicals have a waiting period during which time we should not eat the produce. This is to allow the chemicals to break down. If they are all completely harmless then we would not have to wait three days or seven days or whatever waiting period is recommended for that particular chemical application before eating the produce. They are toxic and their use affects much more than just the pests they are meant to kill. They should be used with a certain degree of discrimination.