Hi Randy
Here is the rub. The classification of an ingredient as "inert" exempts it from trials. It also opens it up to widespread use (and abuse). The EPA list of inerts is staggering. 

Pete,  I don't see that as the issue at all!   The issue is we have to have spray policies for ANY pesticides that minimize exposure to bees.   That’s the real key. 

Battling the EPA of the designation of things that are used as a small adjunct to the main chemicals is "picking the fly poop out of the pepper" IMO  we have much bigger problems.  DWV, SHB, Varroa,  chemicals we add to the hives,  non treaters and mite bombs  the list is long.  All much higher on the list than inerts.

Heck one of the big issues I see is us,  not being smart enough to check pesticide kills, and actually know which ones harmed us.  If we spent our efforts on getting samples and mapping them we could actually do a Parato chart and make some progress. In the last 2 weeks I have had Facebook conversations with 3 separate people blaming Neonics for bee kills  In these 3 cases they had bees tested,  2 of them were NOT neonics,  even though the beekeeper blamed them,  they didn't know the difference!  The 3rd is out of Dennis lab and apparently they won't release it,  but as the were in apples at the time I doubt it’s a neonics also.  Point being we as beekeepers don't know and understand whats going on,  but we are being used and jumping on a bandwagon that may be a lot worse for us than we can comprehend.


Why should we as beekeepers to be so lazy as to say "that ones safe"?   I live in a very heavily used pesticide area.  The simple answer is I talk to the landowners,  Keep bees away from any and all sprays.  Yard site for me is CRP to timbered ground and for yards I can't see all the time I try to stay 300 feet from anything that MIGHT be sprayed. My yards are set  towards the middle of the landowners yards  so no "unknowing neighbors"  yea  takes a bit of planning.

I have several yards that are literally RIGHT NEXT to corn or beans.(the rotate) those farmers know of my bees and don't spray.  Neonic seed coatings have been enough. The herbicides they do use are applied at late evening/ night at my request. Once in a while a late season fungus comes up and we make plans.

Pollination contracts,  its part of the discussion.  My growers are aware that all pesticides are hard on my bees.  Pumpkins are night spray only or I won't do them.  We see in CA  the tide changing a bit (still a long ways to go) some of the new research is giving us evidence to show growers. Continuing down this path of grower cooperation and education is key for almond people.

While current pres would have you believe that everything gets sprayed, its simple not true in the vast majority of areas.  A bit of work and you can be in better areas and minimize the problems

Charles

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