[Beekeeper23]

I feel let down once our local farmer proceeds to enter the acreage we have leased and lucky for me its only 6 acres. This year, corn and yes it was planted with no till/drill process. My questioning of the neonicotinoids surrounding the corn was basically ignored/returned with silence and statements that we don't use anything that is labeled harmful to honeybees. However I was provided with the following list of chemicals :no: to treat the field AFTER the corn was planted. 2 weeks ago herbicide was sprayed, today it is phosphorous. Luckily there isn't much wind and I do have a few acres of buffer as I like to call it that is just natural grown thistle, milkweed, clover, grasses, and whatever else the Meadowlarks and Red-winged Blackbirds like to nest in. I soooooo love the Meadowlarks. I started researching the chemicals and found that I have a LOT of reading to do with nothing so far jumping out at me about the honeybee. Hopefully the fact that I have now 4 medium frames on each hive, seeing orientation flights, hearing chewing/cleaning of comb, saw the start of 3 queen cells with 3 day old larve in my best hive......they will keep on keepin' on. :waiting:

Parallel Plus
Callisto
Bullaneer Plus
Crop oil concentrate
Heno

 

[TWall]

One of the facts about beekeeping is the bees forage over a wide area that no one person has control over.

Most of my hives sit a matter of feet from corn and soybean fields. I took this picture this spring. http://www.hunt101.com/showphoto.php?photo=828501&ppuser=35828 There is corn planted in the background. Behind where I am standing the corn is about 5 feet away.

Your bees should be fine.

Tom

 

[LeonardS]

I have no-till corn that gets planted every other year, within 10 feet of my hives. Bees don't work corn very much, so I've never had a problem. The opposite years, it is no-till beans, and I have not had any problems with those either.

 

[enjambres]

While my hives aren't as close as some of the others above, I have no till corn and sorghum planted with 500 feet of my hives.

Most non-farmers would be shocked at the amount of sprays and chemicals that are routinely used to grow things (both food and non-food plants.)

While there is an unfortunate attitude among some farmers that can lead to over-treatment, most are driven by economic reasons to not do more than necessary.

Some chemicals are harmful to bees, some applications (and timing choices) are harmful to bees, but try not panic.

Do you lease the bee-yard space from him or to him. If you're the landlord you may have more clout to moderate the bees' exposures. You can also move the hives away (temporarily) if an exigent need requires a bad chemical, used during the foraging period. (Nail screened covers on the tops of the boxes, double strap them together, tightly screen off - but leave otherwise wide open - all the entrances, get friends to lift them as a stack (late at night when all foragers are inside the hive) on to a truck bed and drive them away for a day. Park them inside an open but completely shaded garage and don't let them out. Unless it's extremely hot they should be OK, I would think.

But I doubt it would come to that. Bees are probably already exposed to a good whack of agricultureal chemicals - heck, we all are!
Enj.

 

[jim lyon]

Unless there were some issues with planter dust when the corn was planted I wouldnt be too concerned that the corn will harm your bees as the summer progresses. Given that bees will quite easily range 2 miles this means your hives have a foraging area of something over 12 square miles or approximately 8,000 acres so what happens on that 6 acres in the larger picture has a pretty minor impact on the overall health of your bees. I would say most bee hives in the US are probably within flying distance of some sort of treated row crop.
I'm confused, though. You have leased these acres yet you dont have control of the land? If it is under your control why are you renting it out as crop ground instead of planting it yourself to bird and bee friendly forage.

 

[Haraga]

What was the chemical applied two weeks ago and in what form was the phosphorous applied?

 

[Haraga]

PS if you didn't actually lease the ground that the corn is planted on, don't feel let down as the farmer is only doing what any good farmer would do.

 

[JRG13]

I had my first hive near 20 acres of corn that got sprayed almost weekly, never had an issue.

 

[Beekeeper23]

responding to Jim Lyon.

 

[Beekeeper23]

Unless there were some issues with planter dust when the corn was planted I wouldnt be too concerned that the corn will harm your bees as the summer progresses. Given that bees will quite easily range 2 miles this means your hives have a foraging area of something over 12 square miles or approximately 8,000 acres so what happens on that 6 acres in the larger picture has a pretty minor impact on the overall health of your bees. I would say most bee hives in the US are probably within flying distance of some sort of treated row crop.
I'm confused, though. You have leased these acres yet you dont have control of the land? If it is under your control why are you renting it out as crop ground instead of planting it yourself to bird and bee friendly forage.

I would say we are about 60/40, 70/30 to crops/woods around here, mostly the land south to my farm has 80% woods.....slowly I am building up my "natural" area plus in order to keep cauv rating I could probably argue raising goats is the same as raising hives, Apiaries are cauv animal husbandry approved however the extension office seems to think the county auditor would have to review this. Also yes my husband has leased the acreage but within the Ohio revised code the farmers don't have any liability to the apiaries. Only 1 of 4 have responded to the polite letters in asking for notice of applying any chemicals. Our local farm review board approved my application to the conservation reserve program but funding was put off and delayed then rescinded. A major beekeeper around the corner from me with well over 60 hives and 30 acres couldn't get approved into the CRP. Not to get toooo political but we are in John Boehner land too. Go figure.

I am grateful for the farmer that has been forwarding the crop/chemical info to me too many other farmers don't want to open up a can of worms while situations are to their advantage. After speaking with my farmer about my bee's I really believe ignorance play a major role, perhaps a bit of denial too.

 

[Haraga]

I don't understand why there are farm practices going on that you don't approve of when you are the one that holds the lease on the six acres. Please explain so that we may better understand your position.

 

[Beekeeper23]

I don't understand why there are farm practices going on that you don't approve of when you are the one that holds the lease on the six acres. Please explain so that we may better understand your position.

I understand perfectly.

 

[Haraga]

I realize that you understand but please tell us so that we can understand.

 

[jim lyon]

Only 1 of 4 have responded to the polite letters in asking for notice of applying any chemicals.

I am grateful for the farmer that has been forwarding the crop/chemical info to me too many other farmers don't want to open up a can of worms while situations are to their advantage.

Polite, though they may be, the fact that you have some bees nearby doesn't require farmers to notify you of anything more than when they will be spraying an insecticide so that you may have the opportunity to move your bees if you choose. Herbicides require no such notification, only that they be applied by licensed applicators according to the label.

 

[Ian]

My questioning of the neonicotinoids surrounding the corn was basically ignored/returned with silence and statements that we don't use anything that is labeled harmful to honeybees.

You would of gotten the same from me...