In a message dated 6/26/00 3:19:01 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> I not only keep a few bee hives but I  hybridize plants.  I work with
>  daylilies.  Great flowers !!  Gone are the days of the small yellow
>  daylilies.  I use fertilizer that has systemic insecticide in it.  Its
>  hard to kill mites and thrips without using these kinds of products.
>  Some of the other plants that my bees visit also get these products.  My
>  question is will the insecticide hurt the bees if they visit the flowers


    There have been problems with systemic insecticides getting into nectar
and poisoning bees.  One I recall is Temek (Temik?) which was poisoning bees
in orange groves in Florida. I believe the label was changed to prohibit use
during bloom.  So, in general, the answer is yes, systemic insecticides can
poison bees who ingest contaminated nectar.  You don't name your specific
pesticide; your mileage may vary. You might run a search at the APIS web site
for more specifics, as I recall Dr. Sanford discussing this. You might also
seach the Bee List archives.  Also check the labels on the products you are
using.


>  and will it get into the honey?

    The natural cleansing mechanism for insecticides in honey is the death of
the bee that processes contaminated nectar. This is not true of contaminated
pollen.

Dave Green
The Pollination Home Page    http://pollinator.com