When colony collapse disorder, or CCD, first hit the news a few years back conspiracy theorists blamed a number of things for the phenomenon. Some theories (such as the idea that cell phone towers disorient bees) are less plausible than others. The most vitriolic debates here circled around the alleged harm caused by pesticides – particularly pesticides known as neonicotinoids. The most famous of these is a product called clothianidin, which is sold by Bayer AG under the much more pronounceable brand name “Poncho.” The Environmental Protection Agency  (EPA) handles the approval process for new pesticides, and they approved this product in 2003. Today, it’s used on everything from beets to sunflowers. Yet a recently leaked memo from the same organization indicates that Poncho is indeed toxic to honey bees, and can lead to “the eventual instability of the hive.” Amid growing protests from consumers and beekeepers, the EPA has moved pushed its review of clothianidin back to 2012.

For years apiarists, conspiracy theorists and scientists argued that Poncho shouldn’t be used in the United States. It would appear that these concerns have been vindicated, and that at least one of the so-called conspiracy theories about CCD has been proven to be, on some level, accurate. But pesticides aren’t the only game in town. CCD is most likely caused by the complex interaction of several stress factors, including mites and viruses. While it’s convenient to pin the events on a single culprit, it’s also bad science. In fact, we’re still not sure how all the factors behind CCD interact, or if this interaction occurs the same way in each hive.

But one thing is certain: There’s more to clothianidin than the EPA originally led consumers to believe.