I had two nucs/small swarm hives in my back yard all last year, just 10 feet from the lawn area.... And I never even thought about our lawn service being a problem -- until reading this post. It never even crossed my mind.

They built up well, over-wintered well and both are going strong this spring.

That's anecdotal....

Quint

 

Ask them what chemicals they're using. Research those chemicals. Ask them to use pollinator friendly chemicals if possible. This may cost you more and in effect, they'd need to thoroughly rinse their tanks, pumps, hoses, etc. each time they change chems. In other words, that might be more of a marketing thing to "convince" customers how nature friendly they are than a real legitimate offering.

While herbicides, for example aren't intended to kill insects, they will have an LD50 that could be harmful or fatal to bees and taint your honey unknowingly while wet, especially. Ask them to spray as late in the day as possible. Here in Kansas, home to People of the Land of the South Wind, many have to wait until early evening anyway in order to avoid chemical wind drift-related problems.

Remember also, those flowers within 50' of the hive may not be the ones they're interested in anyway that day, but that is a crap shoot. Once dry, most herbicides will have a minimal, but still possibly ill effect on bees.

Our lawn was accidentally sprayed last summer once by a pro company. The intended customer was the lady next door. The guy started in the alley and back yard and when he got to the front and noticed the address - ours: 305, hers: 303, he rang the door bell and was very apologetic. Surprisingly I was at home for lunch or I may have never known. He promised he stayed away from the back yard pond and the yard hive. He went on to say how great it was to find a hive in someone's back yard! He told me that his parents used to keep bees! Anyway, he apologized profusely and said the chems were iron, fertilizer and minimal herbicides and he felt the bees would have minimal if any effects. I offered to pay him for doing my back yard, but he refused. Bees did well & our fish went unharmed (as far as I know).

I'm much more concerned of people who drown their garden plants with Seven and other insecticides than I am with weed killers when it comes to my yard hive. A hive in a town has opportunities of so many flower options that one in the country often does not. On the flip side, there's more opportunity for exposures to harmful chems in town IMO.

 

begin rant

"Grub control" got me. Were there armies of grubs surrounding the house? None of the crap we put on lawns is needed, the weed killer (a version of roundup) especially. A lawn is a sterile piece of real estate. A golf course is so polluting you can't be within 2 miles of one and call your honey organic. Never mind the bees ...think of your kids. It's time to start thinking like a beekeeper. Dandelions are the first order of business in the spring.

end of rant,

dickm

 

the weed killer (a version of roundup)

I agree about the grubs, but I think you've got some bad info about the Roundup, I would expect it to be 2-4d.

 

I have been a professional landscaper for 38 years, a beekeeper for 40, and disdain any service that comes on a regular basis and floods your properties with poisons. CANCEL THE SERVICE OUTRIGHT.

The properties with the most pest problems that I see also have the most poison services. Not to mention their personal health that is being effected invisibly, silently, and oderlessly.

 

I probably can't say it any better than odfrank just did. The concept that the earth needs poisoning on a regular basis is repugnant to me. As a beekeeper I PLANT dandelions and clover and chicory and goldenrod and many other "weeds" because weeds are what bees live on. When bees look out over a perfect green lawn without a weed in it, they see a desert.

That's not counting that anything that kills grubs and insects will kill your bees.

 

As a beekeeper I PLANT dandelions and clover and chicory and goldenrod and many other "weeds" because weeds are what bees live on.

To be just in this statement, I would like to know what your particulars are. Incorporated or unincorporated. City or rural. Lot size. Not everyone has the ability to have a yard with these weeds growing. I'm one of those. I currently live in town within a developed neighborhood and would not find it appropriate to let the lawn go to weeds. I have garden areas where I plant bee friendly plants, but I don't hesitate to put down weed killer on the front lawn as needed. When I lived in an unincorporated area and had an acre, I never did anything to the lawn but cut it. That was fitting for the surrounding properties.

When bees look out over a perfect green lawn without a weed in it, they see a desert.

Which is why most lawn spraying isn't detrimental to the bees as there is no reason for them to be there in the first place. To the original posters concerns, I don't see one.

 

>>>> I don't hesitate to put down weed killer on the front lawn as needed.<<<<<<

I read recently that roundup or its metabolites are endocrine disrupters. I could be wrong.
Herin, however, lies the mind-set. As if there could ever be a "need" to put poison on a plot of grass. I don't think the choice is between "letting it go to weeds" and using chemical weed-killer.
There are over 170 chemicals now found in pollen. 50 or more pharmaceuticals are found in city drinking water. Read your post again Barry and reflect. Then repent. Leave the dark side to those who go for the quick fix. If you're not part of the solution you are part of the problem.

It strikes me that there are things more obscene than my recent reference to a hot place, that you were kind enough to delete. Sorry. I get carried away sometimes.

dickm

 

coming trend

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=333

some eastern Cities in the USA have enacted bans also

 

I think roundup is 2-4-D. I've been wrong before. BTW this (2-4D) was half of agent orange, albeit the less poisonous half.

dickm
Thinking:" Positive is being wrong at the top of your lungs."

 

Roundup is not 2-4d. 2-4d is a broadleaf only herbicide. It kills hearty broadleaf better than Roundup, but roundup will kill grass.

 

Roundup is glyphosate, it kills grass really well. Agent Orange contained dioxin and 2-4d.

 

Maybe I'm old school but anyone every heard of pulling weeds? Sure it takes a little time, but it gets you outside...get the kids and wife to join in...a real "lawn" party.

Also...Dandelion salad is excellent.

 

>To be just in this statement, I would like to know what your particulars are. Incorporated or unincorporated. City or rural. Lot size.

I have done it everywhere I've lived. Incorporated city lot, acerage in the country. Currently I'm in the country.

 

Apha 6- You go man!!!! what a concept!!!!pulling weeds? huh? why didnt I think of that? Nice reply.
Dont forget dandelion wine too!!!

 

Wow – what a response. Anyway – this topic generated some conversation in my house as well. I have 20 acres and next to me is a wildlife reserve of 600 or so that I border.

I can’t say my yard looks all that great, the biggest reason is that there is not that much sunlight that gets on the grass. I don’t care what chemicals you put on it – it is just not going to look like a golf course, I don’t have to worry about looking like the house next door. Years ago I thought I wanted a golf course look – but now I’m more into the natural look. I groomed yard in the middle of the forest actually looks – well weird.

We do have massive flower/shrub beds around the house. The service we were using did our grass and then treatment of the shrub/flowers. I never really thought about it until I got into bees, and never really looked at the bill. I could not believe we were spending over $1500 a year. Some of the crap they were selling me was crazy. Fertilizer for my local trees? Are you kidding me – these tress have been growing in this forest since before man – they don’t need my help.

Anyway – I canceled the service – everything – fired them this morning.

I do know I will have pest/mite issues for some of the shrubs/flowers and will do some minor grass things - but I will deal with that as one offs myself.

How about that?

 

I never really thought about it until I got into bees, and never really looked at the bill. I could not believe we were spending over $1500 a year.

How about that?

Looks like you freed up $1500 out of your budget for more bee stuff!

 

some additional url's regarding concerns and alternatives to pesticides

http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/9374/9374.html

Unidentified Inert Ingredients in Pesticides: Implications for Human and Environmental Health
Caroline Cox1,2 and Michael Surgan3

1Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, Eugene, Oregon, USA; 2Center for Environmental Health, Oakland, California, USA; 3Office of the Attorney General of New York State, Environmental Protection Bureau, New York, New York, USA

Introduction
Inadequate Assessment of the Hazards of Pesticide Formulations
Inert Ingredients Can Increase Toxicity of Pesticide Formulations
Inert Ingredients Can Increase Exposure to Pesticide Formulations
Inert Ingredients Can Increase Ecotoxicity to Pesticide Formulations
Discussion
Abstract

Background: By statute or regulation in the United States and elsewhere, pesticide ingredients are divided into two categories: active and inert (sometimes referred to as other ingredients, adjuvants, or coformulants) . Despite their name, inert ingredients may be biologically or chemically active and are labeled inert only because of their function in the formulated product. Most of the tests required to register a pesticide are performed with the active ingredient alone, not the full pesticide formulation. Inert ingredients are generally not identified on product labels and are often claimed to be confidential business information.

Objectives: In this commentary, we describe the shortcomings of the current procedures for assessing the hazards of pesticide formulations and demonstrate that inert ingredients can increase the toxicity of and potential exposure to pesticide formulations.

Discussion: Inert ingredients can increase the ability of pesticide formulations to affect significant toxicologic end points, including developmental neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, and disruption of hormone function. They can also increase exposure by increasing dermal absorption, decreasing the efficacy of protective clothing, and increasing environmental mobility and persistence. Inert ingredients can increase the phytotoxicity of pesticide formulations as well as the toxicity to fish, amphibians, and microorganisms.

Conclusions: Pesticide registration should require full assessment of formulations. Evaluations of pesticides under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and similar statutes should include impact assessment of formulations. Environmental monitoring for pesticides should include inert ingredients. To enable independent research and risk assessment, inert ingredients should be identified on product labels.

Key words: ecologic effects, exposure, formulations, inert ingredients, pesticides, toxicology. Environ Health Perspect 114:1803–1806 (2006) . doi:10.1289/ehp.9374 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 18 August 2006]

and....

How to Make Organic Alternatives to Roundup Weed Killer:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4863528_organic-alternatives-roundup-weed-killer.html