Here is a copy of my letter to the mosquito list, regarding the possible label change in bee protection directions: In a message dated 96-09-10 20:55:38 EDT, Don Menard ([log in to unmask]) writes: << Lucas Terracina of Calcasieu Parish Mosquito Control posted the following on Byteline that will have a detrimental affect on most mosquito control operations if enacted. Before these proposals go into effect, make your feelings known to your legislators and to Jim Bach whose address is included below. >> Don, I invite you to join the current century. Why are you bucking efforts to protect our pollinators, which are in ever shorter supply? Shame! Think hard: "My children and grandchildren will need to eat. Will they bless me for my efforts to protect our food supply, or blame me for my aid in its destruction?" If it means a little more thought before spraying; if it means you are going to have to learn at least some minimal things about bees; if it means some adjustments in timing sprays, this is a small price to pay, to save a threatened environmental resource. Tell Jim Bach this is a GREAT idea! << =============================================== PROPOSED CHANGE FOR BEE STATEMENTS - ON LABELS The EPA is proposing changes in the environmental hazard statements on pesticide labels for the protection of bees and other beneficial insects. EPA is proposing that all labels be changed if a pesticide is toxic to insects that are beneficial to crops, as shown in research data, or if the product is intended for application from bud through bloom or foliar application to agricultural crops, forests, shade trees or ornamentals, or for mosquito abatement. Any pesticide that meets any of the above criteria will have a precautionary statement on the label. To MINIMIZE BEE KILLS, pesticide products that are toxic to bees will be required to include one of two statements on the label to protect bees. The statement used will depend on whether the pesticide has displayed an extended residual toxicity. The two samples shown are proposed label statements. Some changes are likely before final statements are adopted. These label statements may be added to pesticide labels within one or two years. Comments on this proposal, prior to the proposal being published in the Federal Register for public comment, may be addressed to: Jim Bach Washington Dept. Of Agriculture Box 42560, Olympia, WA 98504-2560 phone # 306-902-1922 or Fax 306-902-2094 _______________________________________________________________ PROSPSED STATEMENT #1 PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENT IF EXTENDED RESIDUAL TOXICITY IS DISPLAYED (i.e.) Carbofuran, Malathion ULV) This product is toxic to bees exposed to application or residues. Unless this product is used in accordance with a state program for the protection of bees or as otherwise stated on this label, DO NOT allow this product to come in contact either directly or through drift to blooming crops or blooming weeds. ________________________________________________________________ PROPOSED STATEMENT #2 PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENT IF EXTENDED RESIDUAL TOXICITY IS NOT DISPLAYED (i.e.) Carbaryl, Endosulfan) This product is toxic to bees. Unless this product is used in accordance with a state program for the protection of bees or as otherwise stated on this label. DO NOT allow this product to come in contact either directly or through drift to blooming crops or blooming weeds between 2 hours before sunrise and 2 hours after sunset. We received the information from Doug Johnson, Administrator, Cascade County Weed and Mosquito Management District in Great Falls, Montana. His phone number is (406) 454-6920, fax 454-6922 Doug got the information from a recent Montana State Department of Agriculture Newsletter.>> This is actually no different that the current label statements. It is just specific enough so that it is harder to weasel out of. I have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars from poisoning of my livestock by applications in violation of label directions. Much of this is from public officials who think they are above the law. I am tired of finding stinking dead bees, just when they are needed to pollinate our food. Just this past week I found two locations that have been hit, with the death of 30 of 60 hives, and the rest might just as well be counted as dead; they are so weak as to be salvage cases, which will require a lot of expensive sugar to feed. The field force has been stripped from them, so they are unable to feed themselves, just as the fall flowers get started in bloom. I am bending my efforts now during the spray season to identify and prosecute those who ignore the labels. If the proper authorities will not enforce the law (and they often won't, particularly for public programs), I will personally swear out warrants against the perpetrators. We have lost our wild honeybees to a parasitic mite; we cannot get young people interested in beekeeping, because there is little profit in the business. And the "Official" South Carolina line is that wild pollinators are not protected. That's malfeasance of our environmental "protectors." SHEESE! Who or what will pollinate our food? Shall we let out the schools during fruit or melon bloom, and send the kids out with little brushes to pollinate the blossoms? It has been done. So those of you who ignore the label directions: If you keep on, you will be cursed by future generations of hungry people. You cannot evade the label directions by notifying beekeepers, then spraying as you please. If you are spraying in the daytime, with a material with bee protection directions, and you don't know exactly what is going on with bees in the application area, you are negligent, possibly even criminal. You will have to have some kind of monitoring system if you are using residual materials, or even daytime use of non residual material. If you don't know where the bees are or when, you cannot comply, even with current labels. Monitor hives are ideal for this purpose, and most beekeepers would be happy to work with you on this. I have offered to supply monitor hives to all the public vector control agencies and to commercial aerial applicators who do cotton. No one has ever accepted. THEY DO NOT WANT TO KNOW! I've seen this before. Only after some prosecutions, is there any interest. I am sorry if this is offensive to those who carefully adhere to the directions. We can shake hands and work together. The ones who repeatedly ignore bee-protection directions are criminals, and must be treated as such. The industry would be wise to do more self-policing. << Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Tagline Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Gravity: Not just a good idea, it's the law.>> Protecting Pollinators: Not just a good idea, it's the law. [log in to unmask] Dave Green, PO Box 1200, Hemingway, SC 29554 Practical Pollination Home Page Dave & Janice Green http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html