[log in to unmask] wrote:

>A while ago I was told about a bee colony that had been killed with Sevin spray.
>

If so, it was sprayed directly on the bees. Generally Sevin is applied
as a powder and that is brought back to the hive (if the bee can make it
that far) and that is what can kill off a colony. If it was actually
powder (dust), it could be in pollen and honey. I would not use it.

I use liquid Sevin early in the season on my cucumber and squash when
they are at their first leaf stage to kill off cucumber beetles. The
bees do not frequent the plants and, since it is a spray, I have no
problems with bee kills. I would not use the powder as bees would pick
it up and take it back to the hive.

I have more questions than answers here, since most (most is the
operative word here, since there are several deadly pollen sized
pesticides that are deadly to the colony itself, but most are not) field
pesticides kill bees remotely from the colony and it is the one that is
directly sprayed on the colony that are the actual colony killers. So if
Sevin was sprayed, then someone was trying to kill the colony, which
means opening it up, or spraying into it and contaminating everything.

With all the other problems that are out there that can kill a colony, I
would not attach everything to Sevin if sprayed remotely and not on the
colony directly. I was talking to a beekeeper in the area and he lost
two colonies this spring. He said it a from starvation. Maybe.

If the Sevin killed the bees remotely, the colony may have lost most of
its field bees and other things may have led to the colony death,
including starvation, mites or EFB. Many possibilities. A good
inspection of the colony would tell you more. There might be no Sevin
contamination.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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