Dave Green wrote:
 
> Dear Beekeepers:
>
> If you are in northern fruit growing areas, you are approaching  a
> time  of  year  when your bees are vulnerable to pesticide misuse,
> and you should be alert.  You may be able to prevent damage before
> it  occurs.   If you have been hit by pesticide losses before, you
> already know that someone in  your  area  is  not  complying  with
> bee-protection directions.
 
In the UK, where farms and beekeeping outfits  are  mostly  pretty
small,  many  local  Associations operate a "Spray Liaison Scheme"
whereby farmers & spray contractors have a list of 'phone  numbers
to  call  to  inform  us  of  spraying.   We  can  then inform all
beekeepers in the vicinity whose bees we  feel  may  be  affected.
Whilst  this  in itself doesn't really solve any problems, it does
help to build the relationship between beekeepers and farmers, and
does  help to remind the farmers of their part of the bargain.  Of
course there are still a few who simply *won't* play ball :-(
 
These days the calls we get are  almost  always  'benign'  and  we
rarely  need take any action.  We probably have the opportunity to
move the bees away but there is rarely (in my experience anyway) a
need.  So we do all this liaising but it has no real significance?
Nope -- incidences of poisoning have fallen  dramatically  because
the farmers think twice.  We do have the law to back us up but now
rarely seem to  need  it.   We  do  have  a  list  of  alternative
pesticides  that  we can suggest if spraying really *must* be done
at the 'wrong' time.  For us at least, putting in the effort seems
to work, but the farmers do have to know that if *they* scew up it
*will* cost *them*.
 
I has a few  other  potential  benefits  too.   It  increases  the
chances of us noticing unexpected side-effects like the smell of a
'harmless' pesticide causing rejection of  foragers  at  the  hive
entrance  or  causes  bad  tempered bees.  It's making the farmers
more aware generally that *all* pesticides kill or  affect  things
other than the primary target.  It's making farmers ask themselves
whether they really need to spray at all and sometimes the  answer
is 'no'.  Sometimes we even save the farmers money -- farmers like
that ;-)
 
We still have a way to go, but we *are* going.
 
Regards,
--
Gordon Scott          [log in to unmask]   Compuserve 100332,3310
                      [log in to unmask]
Basingstoke Beekeeper [log in to unmask]