I was going to address this topic but then I thought why cause trouble? I understand the economic justification for killing weeds in an agricultural setting, but in a bee yard? Is there an economic reason for it? The concept of IPM recommends mechanical methods first and hard chemicals as a last resort to protect the value of the crop. 

In California beekeepers commonly scrape the bee yards down to bare dirt before setting hives out. In the East where I live, there is not much fire danger so often beekeepers ignore the weeds until the hives are invisible. Others prefer to keep the weeds down for ease of access, or aesthetic reasons. Some use weed wackers, some use mowers, some just tromp 'em down. 

The use of hard chemicals like Ureabor, 2-4 D, etc. seems like overkill. We are trying to get farmers to avoid using unnecessary chemicals, so why would we turn around and do it? I believe RoundUp is a lot less toxic than these others. The fact that it has to be reapplied indicates that it is less severe, as well. 

Pete

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