Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Wild mustard attracting honey bees

I am more concerned about the false impression that these pesticides are safe for bees (see link below). Our EPA regulates neonicotinoids based on bee and environmental safety.

http://www.windhamcommunitygarden.org/uploads/9/6/1/8/9618026/organic_pesticides-july-3-12.pdf

Thanks for posting all links Rah, as a spectator, I have much to learn when it comes to bees. I do try to do the right things to help out family members who do that bee thing. Now as far as pesticides, we will use a lot of mosquito spray on our person here in N. E. Texas and Louisiana, it's the only pesticide we use at the farm but without it u will be eat up at dusk and pre daylight And I use distilled vinegar when it come to killing weeds or native grasses. It works pretty good but it runs the cost up per acre when comparing it to things like Round up. All of that type of work is done at dusk when the bees are back in the hives. I see in the links provided that vinegar is still questionable but it was suggested by the local Bee keeper Association.

Tracy

My advice is to do your research. Many people equate natural with safe, but that is a misconception. The most toxic chemicals on earth are natural (e.g. botulism toxin). IMO, many bee keepers are especially superstitious. This link might provide some perspective on natural plant-produced pesticides.

http://www.pnas.org/content/87/19/7777.full.pdf

Around here, there has been no proof, but coincidental colony die-offs when Round-up was used nearby. No conclusive results of Roundup being the primary cause behind it.

My theory is the Round-up itself is not toxic to the bees, but the reaction the plants have to it is. Plants are known to put up a good defense upon being attacked by pests, why now when something comes along and shuts down a critical component for its life? Before the plants are completely dead, I bet the plant goes toxic, and any feeding bees get a dose.

I have tried to have a hive, and gave up last year. The small hive beetles, mites, and moths just kept going to town on my hives making them weak. I am also too chicken-sh_t to work on it too often, which doesn't help.

Interestingly I had the hive pieces in my garden shed, stacked-up haphazardly. First the yellow-jackets moved in, then the mice, than a honeybee swarm. Imagine my surprise to find an active hive in my discarded pieces! Well, a few weeks later it appears the mice won. No yellow-jackets or honeybees, but a bunch of mice. I would park the mower in the shed, which irritated the bees, which then stung the mice. I could hear some crazy squeaking going on inside of the hive when this happened and mice shoot out from the hive. Just a few too many hungry mice in the shed.

RoundUp as a contributor to bee deaths (or diminished health) is a red herring (fish reference intended). This herbicide is probably one of the most studies agricultural chemical in the world.

https://entomologytoday.org/2015/10/13/glyphosate-acetamiprid-low-toxicity-honey-bees-2/

I'm a novice beekeeper (2-1/2 yrs.) and currently have four hives. As others have said there is a lot more to it than many people think. Kind of like pond management. We've had swarms, mites, hive beetles, wax moths, robber bees and a hive where all the bees just left without telling us why. I don't believe that herbicides have much to do with colony failure but my wife will disagree. I do know that insecticides, such as are being used on the Zika mosquitos is killing bees. But that's another issue.

The interesting study by the FDA states that glyphosate is showing up in the honey. Apparently this was never tested for in the past. It's not just in some of the honey, it's in all of the brands tested. Here an article about the report:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carey-gillam/fda-finds-monsantos-weed_b_12008680.html

So now the question is will the glyphosate, that is probably not hurting the bees, be hurting us? Once again there are studies that say Yes and others No. For me I use our honey like I drink my whiskey, in moderation. That way if it is killing me, it will take a long time.

One needs to have context to judge risk. I will repost the link to the PNAS paper that i posted earlier.

"Dietary pesticides (99.99% all natural)"

http://www.pnas.org/content/87/19/7777.full.pdf

Interesting study, and informative. Not knowing the details though of the total effect of Roundup on flowering plants that bees readily feed upon, I still can suspect even though I may be proven wrong. The study seems to focus on direct application to the insect, but not what natural pesticides are produced by the plants when dying from Roundup application. Perhaps some common plants get really nasty, while others do nothing substantial.

We use RoundUp on our place, the fields around us use RoundUp on almost every acre, and our bees keep increasing every year. Our experience agrees with all the scientific research, but maybe your intuition is right and the evidence is wrong. Time will tell.

This year when I've been out and about I've heard what I think was two different swarms on different properties. Couldn't find them before the noise went away, but it sounded like a bazillion teeny tiny drones. Soft at first, then louder, then softer, then gone.