In a message dated 7/15/98 12:27:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] (Bill Hughes) writes:
<< Tennessee is going to spry from planes ULV Malthion on every acre of
cotton in the southwestern part of the state. I have no colonies
directly in cotton fields but some are extremely close. The
distances vary from 50 yards with trees in between to one mile. They
will spray up until October. My question is how much loss should I
expect. Moving all of my 100 hives is out of the question because I
have no place to move them that cotton is not within foraging
distance. >>
Bill,
Get a copy of the label immediately! -Also a copy of your relevant state
pesticide laws. You might be able to get this on the internet. The federal law
should be available at the EPA. Both state and federal laws apply, but
enforcement is usually left to the states. You will find that application not
in accordance with the label directions is illegal.
You will also find that the Malathion label forbids application while bees
are foraging in the application area. This means that, when the cotton blooms,
they must know when bees are foraging (although this doesn't seem clear to
applicators who don't want to know).
This is the law, and they must obey it. They will likely seek to evade it,
but it is the clear law. The responsibility for protecting the bees belongs to
the applicator, who MUST obey label directions.
I would contact them, and offer to help them monitor the hours when bees
forage. You have the monitor hives. Cotton pollen is easily spotted on
returning foragers, and can be observed, even from inside a closed pickup.
Around here, if the weather is hot, the bees work cotton from daybreak until
late morning, then gather water. As soon as no cotton pollen is observed, it
is safe to begin spraying. In cooler weather, the bees start a bit later, and
continue longer in the day.
If they spray, while bees are working the blossoms, many field bees will
drop. Your hives will get weak, and have to use up honey reserves to raise
additional bees. They may store away contaminated pollen, to have brood and
young bees poisoned later, even in winter, when whole hives may die of this.
They will prefer to notify you when they are going to spray, and tell you,
you must protect the hives. This of course is a way to circumvent the label
directions, and to pass on the cost of protection to you. If you confine the
bees in hot weather, so that they can spray illegally, you will also have
losses from the confinement. And no feral bees or bees that are owned by those
who do not get notification will also be protected by their alternative to the
label directions. You are going to have to stand firm.
If they refuse to monitor and adjust application hours to the times bees
are not in the field, let them know they will face prosecution for pesticide
misuse. Your state pesticide regulators SHOULD help you, but are likely to be
quite reluctant.
The camcorder is the next step. Record the applications, and the bees
foraging at the same time. This makes a case the regulatory agency cannot
refuse to prosecute, because it is dropped into their hands, already complete.
Keep copies of all tapes.
Our South Carolina regulatory agency refused to do any significant
enforcement, until I started giving them tapes. I also filed a civil rights
claim against the head of the agency for damages, for his refusal to enforce
the law, which amounts to a seizure of personal property by a government
agency without compensation. Remember that public officials are legally
protected in any act that they do in an official capacity, except for civil
rights violations, which may come against them personally.
I may have bees at 10 or 20 locations on any given day, that may be exposed
to cotton pesticides.
Even if I did have unlimited vehicles with water tanks and employes to be
at the bee sites before daybreak and even if I could confine the bees, why
should I be responsible for the labor, netting, fuel, motel bills, etc, since
I did not CHOOSE to use an environmentally hazardous material. The applicator
chose this, and he is rightfully and legally responsible for safe use, though
compliance with label directions. And if the head of the agency permits the
evasion of pesticide labels through beekeeper notification, he is seizing my
property without compensation.
After this we had some citations. One applicator was fined $1500.
You have been given an opportunity to do a good work for our pollinators
-- a moral obligation. If you buckle under and go chasing to each bee yard to
"protect" your bees only, you will find it impossible, and you will not help
the whole situation in the end. If you insist on compliance with the labels,
you will protect all pollinators. Once applicators realize they must obey the
law, bee poisonings will dwindle.
You have one final tool to protect the bees. Once it is clear to the
applicators that bees are foraging in the application area; if they apply
anyway, they are in WILFUL violation, which is a criminal matter. You can go
to any local magistrate and swear out a warrant for the applicator's arrest
for wilful criminal misuse.
In general, when you see an application, and bees are foraging, get a
record on video, but file to to your regulatory agency as a suspected
violation, until you can determine what material is being applied and get a
copy of the label directions. Not all agricultural chemicals are hazardous to
bees, and those that are not, do not have any specific directions regarding
bees. Some are fungicides, defoliants, etc. Also remember, if the cotton is
not yet in bloom, or is post bloom, the label instructions do not apply, as
there won't be foraging bees.
Also, note that the location of the hives is irrelevant, the label refers
to the *foraging* bees, not the bees at home.
MAKE SURE THE APPLICATORS KNOW THAT THE BEES HAVE THE LEGAL "RIGHT OF
WAY"........ Please, Bill, don't "wimp out" like a lot of beekeepers. Wimpy
beekeepers (and some of our bee research and extension people as well) are a
major reason why we still face so much misuse-caused bee losses.
[log in to unmask] Dave Green Hemingway, SC USA
The Pollination Scene: http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
or http://www.pollinator.com/
Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm
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