Bee Hazards
Hazards
Bee colonies can be adversely affected from pesticide use if adequate precautions are not observed.
Always read product labels of pesticides before applying to any crop or flower.
Most adverse effects can be caused when pesticides are applied or sprayed —
* directly to a nectar source on which bees are foraging
* to an area within the bees’ flight path
* or when contaminated nectar, pollen or water is taken back to the hive.
Labels of registered pesticides carry specific bee warnings, if the product is toxic to bees, and the appropriate requirements and precautions to be taken. Always note these warnings when reading the label and when planning a spray application – at home or on a farm.
The information in this Australian, easy to read booklet will assist beekeepers and farmers to identify pesticides that are toxic to bees and provides information to help manage the risk of honey bee poisoning.
Some of the topics include:
* the importance of commercial pollination to the horticulture industry
* the importance of commercial pollination to beekeepers
* pesticide toxicity – including a list of pesticides toxic to honey bees
* managing the risk of honey bee poisoning
* responding to a poisoning event
* useful forms and contact details
* Appendix 1 and 2 – detail the horticultural and broadacre pesticides known to be toxic to honey bees in Australia – alphabetically sorted by
(1) active constituent and (2) by product name
Bee Connected
BeeConnected is a nation-wide, user-driven smart-phone app that enables collaboration between beekeepers, farmers and spray service contractors to facilitate best-practice pollinator protection.
Through BeeConnected, registered farmers and contractors will receive notifications when a registered beekeeper places their beehives near a farm or where crop protection products may be applied.
Registered beekeepers also receive an alert when a farmer or contractor intends to use a product to protect their crop.
The tool enables instant messaging between beekeepers, farmers and contractors, whilst maintaining privacy through the use of a restricted in-app messaging service.
BeeConnected is free and available on
iPhone, Android and desktop computers.