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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
  • To: Mike Johnson <mm AT reddrum.com>, "NC,Beekeepers Orange County" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [ocba] Mosquito spraying advice
  • Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2016 18:57:02 -0400

Hey Mike,

Commercial pollinators have clauses in their contracts about spraying and notifications. But it does seem they could be caught like anybody else if someone adjacent to the growers apply something that is bee-toxic and didn't communicate with everyone who would be potentially involved. I haven't seen any reports of this happening on a large scale so maybe in Florida the municipalities are more in-tune with the growers and subsequently the beekeepers. Or maybe they haven't had drift issues for some other reason. Or maybe any issues haven't been newsworthy.

But as far as constructive things that we can do, the article that James posted had some good advice on this topic. First and foremost, of course, is what the County Administrator said: “I can assure you that having a better relationship with the beekeeping community is paramount in avoiding this type of situation.” That was the crux of my earlier post as well. We must be on good terms with neighbors and others so they'll want to let us know if they are going to fog or spray for mosquitoes. A friend in Fayetteville asked me for advice on this exact situation earlier this week: her neighbor came to her, concerned about the impact his planned mosquito fogging would have on her bees (which are adjacent to his property line), and wanted her advice on how they could work together so her bees weren't harmed. I gave her advice similar to what appearing in the article: "To protect bees, the EPA suggests spraying between dusk and dawn, while bees are not typically foraging. It also says beekeepers can reduce exposure by covering colonies, preventing bees from exiting colonies during treatment periods, or relocating hives to an untreated site."

Obviously the best plan would be to relocate the bees while the spraying/fogging is going on. These sprays/fogs work on contact with insects -- after the spraying/fogging is over, the risk goes away. That's one reason they are extremely safe for people, pets, etc. But bugs that are covered by the mist as it is being applied will die. So if we move our hives to a safe distance, they'll be fine. Maybe there are OCBA members who could offer their properties as short-term drop zones for others within the club who have upcoming spraying/fogging planned for their neighborhoods?

Another option is to confine your bees so they aren't flying around in the fog. Place a screen over the entrance to ensure that the bees don't suffocate. It shouldn't hurt them at all to be confined for 12 hours or so; they often are cooped up that long during rainstorms etc.

The other option is similar -- cover the hives with a sheet so the bees are confined within that space.

From what I've read, we also should be wary if we have ornamental ponds with fish. These mosquito treatments are extremely toxic to aquatic animals. So if it is going to be done in your neighborhood, cover your ornamental pond with a tarp.

I would appreciate any practical advice that comes from other members' education and experiences so I can give better advice in future. These treatments are going to be done; our challenge is to survive them.

Randall





On 9/2/2016 12:17 PM, Mike Johnson wrote:
57C9A627.8050606 AT reddrum.com" type="cite">
I cringe at trying to start a constructive dialog about this topic...  However, at the same time I think it could be very useful.

I wonder what south Florida beekeepers are doing about their hives and spraying.  Some of the largest fields I have ever seen are just outside of Miami in the Everglades.  There are thousands of acres of farms and each has pallets of maybe 8 bee hives each around them.  I assume they are spraying the heck out of south Florida right now.  There are gazillions of bees there! 

The only time I have seen more bees was on the road in the edge of California when I saw two truckloads of 442 hives each that were being moved from the Dakotas to California (talked to the truck drivers for a bit).  They had 78 truckloads to move!

mike




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