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Bee's and Pesticides

2K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  TWall 
#1 ·
I have a question that I've been searching for an answer to and can't find anything out there. I am planning on starting Beekeeping this Spring but before I do I need to ask this. I live in a rural area in Michigan on about 20 acres. Across the street from me is a Farm of about 2 or 3 hundred acres. The Farmer plants Corn, Soybeans and Wheat on a seasonal rotation. Not being a farmer myself I would assume that he uses different types of Chemicals like Fertilizer and Pesticides. The question is. Is being so close to this farm an issue for a beekeeper? I read all kinds of different articles about pesticides and bees and the affects of the pesticides. I'd hate to go through all the expense not to mention all the learning to find out this is a big problem. Please Help!
 
#2 ·
your going to get all kinds of answers, I would suggest go ask the farmer and see if he will tell you what he uses, just remember some farmers don't pay attention to the chemicals provided on the seeds. you could contact Meghan Milbrath <mpi@msu.edu> for information about your neck of the woods. I have hives right next to corn and soybeans with no problem, not much wheat around here. avoid sweet corn however.
 
#8 ·
I keep all of my bees on cotton fields and pecan orchards. And when I say "on cotton fields" I mean the tractor boom misses my hives by about 10 feet when spraying. I have never had a problem. Farmer is amiable enough, but he rightfully thinks a lot more about his cotton than my bees. Roundup, Bt Cotton seed, pesticides are all applied every year. Fungicides are sprayed on the pecan trees multiple times a year.
 
#9 ·
Where I live in VA, we do the same rotation; wheat, beans , corn, ad infinitum. The glyphosate is not a problem but there is a risk to the bees when the corn tassles and they spray lambda-C containing products. Register with Fieldwatch and chances are better that the applicators will be more considerate when spraying. There are hundreds if not thousands of acres of these crops near me and I have yet to have an identifiable pesticide kill.
 
#10 ·
Might not kill your bees, but what about the honey? Like Wildbranch suggested, talk to your neighbor. At the very least he can tell you what he uses and when he uses and give you a heads up. If you can convince him to apply when the bees aren't flying (early morn/eve) that would be ideal. You can put wet sheets over the hives to help protect any overspray.
 
#14 ·
I also live in cotton/bean/corn country. I get hit every year in varying degrees - some farmers are better than others. Get to know the local farmers!!

Here's a video I made several years ago. Sorry about the quality of the video - you might get dizzy watching it :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpEG6-bCc3M


The kill shown in this video isn't too bad, and every colony survived, but I have seen dead bees 3 inches deep in front of the hives that was related to cotton spray (this happened around 2003). Of course big changes in chemicals from then to now. With current chems, I suspect that more immediate kills occur resulting in fewer bees making it back to the hives (total conjecture on my part, but farmers have also mentioned how quickly these chems work). Not shown in this video, but my swimming pool had a lot of dead bees floating in it following this spray.
 
#15 ·
It all depends on what they are spraying. I doubt the wheat is getting an insecticide. And, I doubt the bees will have any interest in the wheat field. The bees could forage for pollen in the corn and they could forage for nectar in the soybeans. Some years the bees might forage in newly emerging corn fields when there is no other nectar sources available. Neither crop will be a top attractant to your bees. Your bees will also be foraging in a 2+ mile radius of the hives.

My hives sit a matter of feet from corn and soybean fields and I have not had a problem. Sometimes in late summer, hot and dry, soybeans may get spider mites. The farmer may spray for them. If there is no other nectar source the bees could be foraging in the soybeans.

Tom
 
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