Thanks very much Farmerdill.
I noticed that the guidelines in the link are dated May 14, 2003, but I can't find any that are more recent so I am hoping those guidelines are the guidelines still in effect. I don't have a problem with fungicides to protect seeds from rotting in the ground.
I did a lot of searching last night and found multiple recent studies of treatments for sweet corn seed. All contained fungicides which is something I don't have a problem with. But half of the trials had systemic insecticides added as well to the treatment such as Cruiser which contains Thiamethoxam. Thiamethoxam is a systemic neonicotinoid that remains int he plants vascular system throughout the growing season. This is deadly to the insects that eat any part of the plant and probably also to the bees that take in the pollen. And there are a lot of bees taking in the corn pollen. Six hives worth on my property plus more hives up the road. The tassels are alive with bees.
I suspect Henry Fields hasn't responded to my question because they don't know the answer. They buy treated seed from the suppliers but don't know exactly what the seed is treated with since it could change from supplier to supplier. I'm going to hope that it's just a fungicide this year and my bees are safe.
