I'd like to mention some other issues about mosquito spraying that haven't
been mentioned in this discussion.

1.    Mosquitoes are a problem in areas surrounding wet lands, small lakes
and ponds where water movement in low.
2.    Mosquitoes are also a problem in housing areas that surround these wet
lands.
3.    Wet lands are usually in lowland areas where the air may or may not
drain away quickly.
4.    Remember mosquitoes are a public health concern and are considered so
by community leaders.  As such their control may take precedence over bee
protection if the public health hazard is deemed to exceed the value of the
bees (and perhaps other insects and pollinators) in the affected area.
5.    Mosquito control district persons may have varying levels of knowledge
about the proper control methods and timing of applications.
6.    It is incumbent on the applicator to read, understand, and follow all
label directions when spraying mosquitoes.
7.    Seeing a spray rig doesn't mean that an application was being made at
the time, though the sight of one raises one's apprehensions.
8.    Hives should be placed upwind and upslope from mosquito hazard areas.
It may be possible to place the hives on high ground in a generally low
area.
9.    Beekeepers should place their hives above the spray area if possible
and let them fly down to the forage area.
10.    Applications of malathion are obviously harmful to bees when they are
directly sprayed while foraging and when going to and from the apiary.
11.    Applications are also hazardous when the spray laden air moves down
slope into an apiary and into the hives when bees are fanning air through
the hives to maintain temperature or ripening honey.  The spray may also
move uphill some with pressure  from wind or because of the air flow off the
aircraft wings or
blades.
12.    Turning off the spray rig in the vicinity of the hives may or may not
protect the bees depending on wind and air movement.  If the hives are in an
area of low risk from mosquitoes, turning off the rig can be a good
bargaining point with the applicator.
13.    Malathion usually dissipates quickly at the normal application
temperatures.  This means that bees in the field don't usually make it back
to the hive, depending on the distance to the application.  If the spray
moves through the apiary, the bees in the hive usually tighten their cluster
and fan the chemical out of the hive.  The bees on the outside of the
cluster will be killed but usually not the whole cluster.
14.    Beekeepers do not have an inherent, or a legal "right" to place bee
hives where they want to and then expect others to protect them from
hazards.
15.    Beekeepers should make themselves aware of hazards to bees in their
local area before they move their bees to a location.
16.    They should find out where mosquito spraying is done and determine
the normal spray period i.e., months of the year, time of day, number of
times the area is sprayed, how much area is sprayed, likely wind direction
and speed, air movement at application time, application method (ground or
air), etc.

Here in Washington, beekeepers and the Department of Agriculture have worked
closely with Mosquito Control Districts to minimize hazards to bees.
larvicides  are used regularly and sprays only when population levels reach
a high level.  Districts usually communicate with local residents via the
newspaper, radio
and TV to inform them of the application area, date and timing.  The
applications that I am aware of were made in the late evening to dusk
because of mosquito and air movement behavior.

I think it is incumbent on beekeepers to work closely with departments of
agriculture and other industry groups on bee hazard issues.  It must be done
in a congenial manner to be effective, and one must take the time to do
one's homework on the issues.  Sometimes it seems like the effort is long
and grueling especially when there is so much bee work to do.  Regulators
are people too and they have to work within the system they find themselves
in, which sometimes is difficult, and not always as efficient as they would
like.  It is difficult to walk in another's shoes, if not impossible, but
try it sometime.  I think you'll have an appreciation for what they
accomplish and come away with another point of view.

James C. Bach
[log in to unmask]
[log in to unmask]