Protect honey bee hives from aerial sprays
Honey bee colonies already face enough challenges with mites, diseases, and forage loss. Aerial pesticide applications are another problem.
If you already keep bees or know someone who does, you have a pretty good idea that it’s not just the bees doing all of the work. Managing hives comes with its own revolving purview of responsibilities. Do the bees have enough food and space? Are they managing Varroa mites well on their own? Have their hives been pushed over by bear, or has a skunk been snacking on bees at the hive entrance?
Another duty to add to a beekeeper’s list is one that the honey bees can’t manage on their own: Aerial pesticide sprays. Depending on one’s region, pesticide sprays may be applied to large swaths of land for mosquito, moth, or other insect control. Other times the sprays are more isolated and specific to a farm’s pest or weed control. A somewhat nearby application could be fatal if wind patterns cause drift, or if a hive’s forage range lands in the impacted area.
My apiaries are within a few miles of farms. Fortunately, I’ve never been impacted by large-scale pesticide applications. However, I take a few preventative steps to prevent colony health issues or hive loss. Pesticide applications are regulated, which requires the applicator to be licensed and follow regulations that include notifications and proper timing of the applications. For instance, if a licensed applicator knows there are hives in the area, they’re required to give at least 24 hours’ notice. (In some areas they may be required to give more notice.) A licensed applicator also needs to follow the product instructions, so if the substance can only be applied after sunset, then they must adhere to that.
Of course, accidents happen, applicators ignore regulations, or an unlicensed person may take the product into their own hands. Each state varies in how they investigate these events. Where I am in North Carolina, the state has apiary inspectors assigned to each region. Their services are free. (Paid for by taxpayers.) If you think your hive loss was the victim of a pesticide application, you can contact the apiary inspector assigned to your county. They’ll come to your apiary and collect samples from the dead out like dead bees, possibly some comb, nectar, pollen, and brood samples too. The best thing to do in these situations is to—without sounding dramatic—treat your apiary like a crime scene. Don’t remove or disturb things much and allow the apiary inspector to collect what they need before you clean and store equipment. The University of Georgia’s Bee Program provides a few steps on how to clean and recover equipment.
Hopefully you don’t get to the point that you have a dead out. Some preventative steps include:
Register your apiaries. I use a few apiary registration services. DriftWatch manages BeeCheck, which is a national free service that allows you to map your hives online. DriftWatch also manages FieldCheck, which is where pesticide applicators register themselves. The applicators rely on these maps to see who they need to notify. Once you register your apiaries, BeeCheck will remind you each year to update your listing. Of course, don’t wait a whole year if you happen to add another bee yard or two.
I also use an apiary registration service managed by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The state system notifies beekeepers when sprays are scheduled within 1 mile of their bee yard. Unlike BeeCheck, the state service doesn’t provide digital mapping or online payments. It’s an analog process that requires printing out an apiary registration form, drawing a map of your apiary location, and mailing it to the state with a check for each apiary. As of this writing, the state requires a $10 annual fee for each apiary.Add signs. DriftWatch offers field signs that help notify anyone passing by to visit the registration site. There are also many different “no spray” signs available from many online retailers.
Move or cover hives. If you know that an application will happen, the best thing to do is to move them. If you’re unable to move them to a temporary safe space or inside a shed or structure, close the hives the night before the spray. Then cover the hives with burlap, an old bed sheet, drop cloth, or tarp on the day of the spray. Don’t wrap the hives tight because the bees will need ventilation and to manage the hive temperature. You can also keep them closed up for 24 hours following the spray. If hive health and weather allow, you could also keep them closed up until the next rain (if it’s less than a week out). Depending on the time of year, you may want to add an in-hive feeder so that the bees have enough food while they’re closed up.
Registering apiaries and adding signs can be a sensitive subject because some beekeepers prefer their apiaries run under the radar. They might want to avoid drawing attention to the hives to prevent theft. Hive GPS monitors and video surveillance can help manage that.
Even if you’re not a beekeeper, you can help honey bees and other pollinators by following pesticide and herbicide instructions. Often these inputs require application at times when pollinators aren’t active (after sunset) and never on blooming plants. When I apply neem oil to help prevent cedar apple rust on my apple trees, I always apply it just after sunset. I also use a hand-sprayer, which prevents drift. My apple trees are young and haven’t bloomed yet, but my neem oil applications are usually in early spring before the trees flower. Just a few simple precautions can help protect honey bee hive health and area pollinators.