When we talk about "saving bees", most people think about honey bees. I'm a hobbyist beekeeper, and honey bees have a good chance of surviving thanks to people who care about them.<p>However, in most places, there are dozens or hundreds of other bee species. We don't know or hear much about them. They are solitary bees, various types of bumblebees, etc. They are the ones disappearing, and fast. Unfortunately, they are the first victims of growing urban areas, mono-culturing and pesticides.
Best approach: Use no poison.
An alien may say: This humans seem to be bit insane - they put a lot of poison on their fields where they grow their food in order to protect their weak breeded plants against pets while they do everything that this pests have a easy run. Maybe we should search for another planet where the creatures seem to be more sane.
I'm with the filtered approach. I dont really trust Krupe's work. yeah, statistically significant on 12 fields .... 2% is right in the range of the stated yield benefit, .5 - 5%, which farmers who actually do business seem to think is economically beneficial.<p>"In another study, Krupke found that the seed treatments weren't of much benefit to corn yields... the results from all the sites, the average yield from the treated seed was about 2 percent higher, but Krupke says that difference is not statistically or economically significant "