Tips To Keep Bees Safe When Using Pesticides

Pesticide applicators should follow these precautions to ensure both hive health and the best pollination of the almond crop, according to Bob Curtis, Gabriele Ludwig, and Danielle Veenstra of the Almond Board of California.

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  1. Read labels carefully and follow directions. Do not use pesticides at bloom with label cautions that read “highly toxic to bees,” “toxic to bees,” “residual times” or “extended residual toxicity.”
  2. Before applying pesticides at any time of year, contact the county agricultural commissioner to notify beekeepers with nearby managed hives. This is mandatory for pesticide products with “toxic to bees” label statements and recommended for all other applications, particularly during bloom. When a pesticide to be applied bears “toxic to bees” statements on its label, beekeepers with hives within 1 mile of the application must be notified (if they have requested to be) by the applicator at least 48 hours prior.
  3. Water should either be covered or removed before a pest control treatment is made, or emptied and refilled after the treatment. Providing clean water for bees to drink will ensure that they spend more time pollinating the crop than searching for water.
  4. Do not directly spray hives with any pesticide application. Spray-rig drivers should turn off nozzles when near hives for all materials applied. Applications that come in contact with bee hives could adversely affect bee health and the pollination of the crop.
  5. Do not hit flying bees with spray applications. Bees that come in contact with sprays will not be able to fly because of the weight of droplets on their wings.
  6. Report suspected pesticide-related bee incidents to the grower, beekeeper, and county agricultural commissioner. Bee health concerns cannot be addressed without the data from these incidents.

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