Dear Bee Folks: Wow! Thank you so very much. I have had a lot of response, and it is unanimously in favor of continuing to report on the bee/pesticide situation. So here goes some more....... The most dangerous time for bees near fruit orchards is now near in northern locations - if there is clover coming into bloom in the orchard floor. Take a good look at orchards near you. Are they clean and free of clover and other blooming weeds? By mid-month growers will be starting to apply powerful, broad-spectrum insecticides. You might want to give the grower or your extension agent, the following reminder, which I have been providing extension folks and others who are involved in fruit pesticides and pesticide recommendations. Prevention is far better than salvage. ORCHARD FLOOR MANAGEMENT Increase risks for misusers, reduce them for bees. Many orchardist forget their beekeeper after pollination is accomplished - until he is needed again the following spring. Meanwhile, he may be fighting for survival from one pesticide hit after another, often these are caused by his neighbors, the fruit growers, who most need him, although misuse on other crops, and mosquito and gypsy moth programs that ignore label directions can also cause hits. Good orchard floor management is crucial to maintenance of pollinator populations. In apple orchards the most hazardous time of the year for bees is now approaching, with clover beginning to bloom in southern locations, and not far off in northern ones. Broad spectrum insecticide applications on blooming clover and other weeds attractive to bees in orchard floors have been a major factor in bee losses, making beekeeping unprofitable, and driving some beekeepers out of business. It has also decimated some wild non-Apis pollinator populations. Poor honey markets of the past few years have temporarily helped orchardists, because many beekeepers have turned to pollination to supplement or even provide a majority of their income. But they cannot survive, if they cannot keep the bees alive. Each year there are fewer and fewer bees available. Mites and other factors have also reduced the supply. However, each problem that faces the beekeeper today can be met by becoming a better beekeeper or better businessman, EXCEPT the problem of pesticide MISuse, which is in the hands of the pesticide applicators, those who advise them, and those who enforce pesticide laws. A South Carolina peach orchard has already provided a $1500 hit on a local beekeeper. An official investigation is not yet done but the probable cause is Penncap M (trademark), applied in violation of label directions on a lush mustard bloom on the orchard floor. I also observed a suspected violation of this type. It is crucial that fruit growers take a hard look at the orchard floor prior to insecticide applications to see if there is any clover, mustard, wild mints, or other blooming weed that is attractive to bees. In some cases a temporary removal of bloom immediately prior to application by mowing is possible. It is however a long term problem, and herbicide control of these bee-attractive plants is the only long term solution. If the material is hazardous to bees, the label will so state under Environmental Hazards, and prohibit application while bees are foraging. Some non-residual materials (look at the label directions to see if the only reference is to toxicicty by direct contact) could be legally and safely used during the hours bees are not foraging. Some kind of monitoring would be necessary to identify a safe and legal time for the application. Other materials have residual effects (again look at the directions) and since bees will forage within the residual life of the pesticide, bloom removal is required for compliance. Beekeepers are becoming aware of the legal protection given to the foraging bee (yes, she has the legal right-of-way, if the label says so) and are becoming more active to seek enforcement. Some, like myself, who have been afraid of repercussions, in the past have seen that the business is now impossible anyway with the current level of losses, so have decided to report ALL violations and bee kills. Last year a New York beekeeper settled out of court for an undisclosed sum from an applicator who was under threat of a citation and possible certification loss for violations on blooming sweet corn, and other vegetables. Some volunteer beekeepers will be organizing beekeepers' neighborhood watches to monitor pesticide applications to see if they comply with label directions that protect bees. Dave Green [log in to unmask] Dave's Pollination Service & Eastern Pollinator Newsletter PO Box 1215, Hemingway, SC 29554 The optimist sees things as he wishes them to be. He lives in a rosy dream world. The pessimist sees things as he fears. He's as sour as a year-old pickle. The realist sees things as they are. He rejoices in the good, and combats the evil.