And now the rest of the story from the beekeeper in question:
---

"The more I thought about it, I figured if I didn't move the hives I 
would regret it, and moving the hives was a small price to pay for peace 
of mind.

"So I was up at 5am and got the hives moved. At 8:30, the farmer called 
me. It seems he found out about a hobbyist beekeeper who has a hive 
about 3/4 mile away from the field, and the hobbyist was worried the 
spray would affect their bees. Since it was only a 7 acre field, he 
decided he was better off not to get that field sprayed and he can 
compare that field to other fields to see if spraying the other fields 
was worthwhile or not.

"From a presentation the State Apiary Inspector gave a year or so ago, 
they said that the laws about notifying beekeepers don't really have any 
teeth here in Ohio. In order for the beekeeper to file a claim, the 
beekeeper has to have a sign posted visible from the road with 
directions to the beeyard, and have all the contact information for the 
beekeeper. Most beekeepers don't want to attract that much attention to 
their yards, so they don't put up the necessary signs. Then you have to 
prove the farmer sprayed the pesticide that killed your bees if you meet 
the notification requirements. I 'think' the State Inspector said the 
farmers were only required to give you 24 hours notice if you had the 
proper signs for notification.

"The farmer told me there was some website now listing apiary locations, 
and you are supposed to notify the beekeepers if you are spraying in 
that area. He said the hobbyist was listed on that site, which is how he 
found out about them.

"While it is an inconvenience to have to move hives on short notice, 
(especially when it was unnecessary) I am thankful that the farmer is 
trying to be a good neighbor.

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