Who do they think we are?

[doak]

Do any of you get the ( Catch the Buzz) bee letter?

How many of you know any one who would tell you or any one else what they were spraying with.
If no one can come up with this article I will try to vertical tile my pages and get it up tomorrow.
I cannot get it to cut and paste.
I would like for every one to read it if it can be reproduced here. :)doak

[Robo]

CATCH THE BUZZ
New Pesticide Abuse Reporting Page Available

by Kim Flottum

The EPA, in cooperation with Oregon State University, has launched a new portal for the reporting of ecological incidents related to pesticides, through their "National Pesticide Information Center" website. This is an effort by the Office of Pesticide Programs to improve the quantity and quality of incident data they receive for pesticides, so please check it out, use it, and get the word out to other interested parties!

The portal is not without a few problems. Pertinent information asked for on the 4 page query include the type of incident you wish to report...terrestrial, aquatic, both, for plants or bees.

They also want significant contact and location information, which makes sense, including your state and county, but also the number of affected entities, date observed, the weather when the event occured and a short overview of the event.

But here's the kicker, in my opinion...you need a significant amount of pesticide information...or they don't let you finish the report. They want the Product name and the active ingredient, and if possible the EPA Registration number (which is conveniently located on the label, in case you didn't know). They also want the formulation, evidence of misuse, how certain are you it was misused, and whether it was an aerial or ground spray.

I'm quite certain they want more, but since I didn't have the registration number, I couldn't get past that page on the report, so had to quit...This is a short coming on this what-could-have-been very useful report for beekeepers. Maybe product names and formulations and active ingredients and registration numbers are move available to people other than beekeepers. But when you find a dead hive you probably don't have ample opportunity to carefully read the label. Thus, this reporting device is meaningless. That is unfortunate.

To take a look at this report, and if you have a registration number, go to the web page below and make a report...

http://npic.orst.edu/eco

[BjornBee]

Last year, I had an apiary hit with pesticide kill. (Not CCD!) Piles of dead bees out front of the hives. The farmer, sprayed in preparation of fall planting and killed a field of late blooming flowers, as he was using no-till.

The farmer allows me to keep bees on his property as a favor. He has no pollination benefit. I keep them there for drone saturation in one of my breeding areas. He is 83 years old. He almost cried when I told what happened. He was very sorry and said he did not realize the impact.

I mentioned what happened in a state meeting. They wanted me to report the issue. And I did not. I did not want a situation where EPA or other officials come calling, reporting him, and putting him in who knows what consequences.

I felt it was better to work with the farmer, discuss future chemical use, and maintain a situation of a working relationship between beekeeper and farmer. And I feel that having beekeepers running a round making enemies, which I feel will happen, after the authorities are through with the process, is not in my, or any beekeepers benefit.

I take it upon myself to KNOW where I keep bees, WHAT the farmers are using, and HOW to deal with the situations that may pop up. And if it involves cancelling a pollination contract or looking for greener pastures elsewhere, than so be it. I would rather inform the farmer, work together, and keep bees on properties with open dialog.

And I know I am better off on those same farms, that may require a little effort on my part, as opposed to trying to find a location. What I fear more, is the neighboring farm, that will not allow bees on the farm due to his use of chemicals in careless manners. And If I have bee loss from that other farm, I may not be able to prove it, educate him, or change the future.

So for those farmers that actually DO allow bees, than I see no reason reporting him.

As for my pollination farmers, they are paying for my bees to be there and they have a vested interest. And I don't have problems with them. They are way more careful than the homeowner trying to kill every weed, or the farmer who is not willing to communicate with me.

As a side note, I find this whole reporting thing part of the "business" of research. It's like asking "How many years will it take to do simple testing of chemicals, to prove one way or another if they impact hives?"

Think about it....CCD three years later, and were still discussing whether a certain chemical is killing bees. How hard would a few simple studies to be conducted. Anyone heard of one study actually testing any particular product? Do we have ANY actual studies or research?

I said a long time ago....politics, money, and other issues will be more important than finding answers. Those answers may come, but not until that goose has laid a good number of golden eggs.

[Keith13]

good point Bjorn

[rdy-b]

most of the locations where my bees are kept are of property owners that dont want any pesticide on there farm-and if the bees where to get a severe dose they would be inclined to report such abuse themselfs-the impact pesticide has on there property and the surrounding environment is not taken lightly -the whole food chain is effected -but i understand the need for pesticide -and on the same note when the fields next to my bees get planted with corn -i move the bees because of the spraying of PENCAP-which is micro-encapsulated and can contaminate frames of pollen for years -i thought the portal was good efort-RDY-B