Dear all, Reducing the risk of pesticides is a significant issue for pollinator conservation. NAPPC, the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, is developing a series of questions for the pesticide applicators' exams in the U.S. that will emphasize pollinator protection during pesticide application. One thing we're trying to clarify is guidance on the least damaging time of the day for applying pesticides The standard guidance is to avoid application between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. This is not necessarily suited to all regions of the U.S., nor even every crop. Can anyone provide citations that document pollen foraging by honey bees and other bees in the early morning hours? Similarly, are there citations of regional differences in bee/pollinator foraging times or of crops that have active pollinators in the morning or evening? Thanks for your help. We're going to be working with government agencies to get these questions integrated into state exams, a task for which literature citations will be valuable. I am posting this to four lists, so I apologize if you receive it several times -- I know that each list reaches a different group of people. Matthew _____________________________________________ Matthew Shepherd Director, Pollinator Conservation Program The Xerces Society 4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA Tel: 503-232 6639 Fax: 503-233 6794 Email: [log in to unmask] Web: www.xerces.org _____________________________________________ A nonprofit dedicated to protecting the diversity of life through the conservation of invertebrates. _____________________________________________ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::