Disappearing foragers or just an early 'June gap'?
We are very worried about what has just happened to our bees. One day they were all full of activity and flying bees. We caught three swarms during that week.
Then one day later, almost no activity at all from any of the eight hives even though the weather has turned warmer and sunnier.
There was a large field of oil seed rape nearby which they working which is now virtually over. We're afraid that the farmer may have sprayed it for pollen beetle just before it finished flowering, and that many of our foragers were caught in the spray, illegal but they do it here in France quite frequently.
There's no sign of mortality around the hives or inside.
Is this most likely to be spray damage or am I jumping to conclusions? Could the inactivity be due to the end of the flow, though we are only in mid May and there are plenty of other flowering plants?
Is there any other evidence I should be looking for to confirm this is insecticide damage?:scratch:
Then one day later, almost no activity at all from any of the eight hives even though the weather has turned warmer and sunnier.
There was a large field of oil seed rape nearby which they working which is now virtually over. We're afraid that the farmer may have sprayed it for pollen beetle just before it finished flowering, and that many of our foragers were caught in the spray, illegal but they do it here in France quite frequently.
There's no sign of mortality around the hives or inside.
Is this most likely to be spray damage or am I jumping to conclusions? Could the inactivity be due to the end of the flow, though we are only in mid May and there are plenty of other flowering plants?
Is there any other evidence I should be looking for to confirm this is insecticide damage?:scratch:
