Charles wrote..."Keep in mind,  the whole goal of the pesticide is targeted
pest control,  so the real key is to keep the bees out of it in general."
Right on Charles and the same goes for weed control. But how do you "keep
the bees out of it?" Last fall I lost 8 of 12 colonies in a black
locust/alfalfa apiary in central Kansas. Had the bees tested and found they
died of a carbaryl, probably Sevin. Traced it back to the county weed
control folks who were attacking blooming lespedeza along roads and on
private land. I met with the weed control superintendent and he admitted
spraying within 50 feet of the 12 colonies. He stated that lespedeza is the
only forage crop recognized by the USDA that can be also classified as
pernicious and therefore can be targeted as an unfavorable weed. They
sprayed many hundreds of acres across the county. I've convinced them to
treat in the spring with roundup rather than spray blooming plants. I'm also
trying to get the word out through extension channels to inform farmers and
governmental agencies not to spray blooming lespedeza which bees eagerly
work.   


 

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