Protecting honeybees and other pollinators around pesticides, insecticides

Pollinators, including honeybees, are a vital component of the ecosystem. Beekeepers are having difficulty maintaining the health of honeybee colonies. The careful use of pesticides and insecticides in particular, can help prevent additional stresses on honeybee health. The UT Extension Institute of Agriculture offers the following information about protecting honeybees and other pollinators from pesticides.

Many insecticide labels indicate that applications to field crops cannot be made when bees are foraging in fields unless pest populations exceed economic thresholds. However, there are additional steps that should be taken to mitigate the potential negative effects of pesticides on pollinators.

• Beekeepers, growers and pesticide applicators should communicate so that all parties know the location of beehives near agricultural fields. Apiaries should be clearly marked with the beekeeper’s contact information.

 

• The beekeeper should try to select apiary locations that have natural barriers, such as tree lines, to mitigate exposure to insecticide drift.

• The beekeepers should avoid placing hives directly adjacent to agricultural fields that are likely to be sprayed with insecticides.

• If hives are close to field edges, the entrances should be directed away from the field when possible.

• In high-risk areas, growers or pesticide applicators should notify beekeepers when insecticides that are toxic to bees are likely to be applied.

• Pesticide applications should not be made in conditions where drift towards beehives or natural foraging habitats are likely to occur.

• When possible, avoid aerial application in high-risk areas where beehives or naturally-occurring pollinator habitat is near agricultural fields.

• Make applications when bees are not active (i.e., early in the morning or especially late in the day) in sensitive areas or when many pollinators are observed foraging within a field.