by MATT MCINTOSH
Grain Farmers of Ontario’s new “BeConnected” smartphone app may help alleviate beekeeper concerns over the use of some pest-management products, but according to one Ontario Beekeepers Association spokesman, it falls short of addressing the problems associated with persistent, systemic insecticides.
According to a May 1 press release from Grain Farmers of Ontario, the app – which will be piloted this season – is designed to help beekeepers and farmers connect with one another in an effort to “inform each other of activities planned on the land” and help reduce the impact of pesticides on honey bee populations.
“As we pilot test the app this season, we encourage farmers to start the conversation with local beekeepers the old-fashioned way,” says Henry Van Ankum, chair of Grain Farmers, in the organization’s release. “Cooperating and sharing information at the local level is especially important this year.”
The app is part of the provincial organization’s response to 13 recommendations released in March by the Ontario Bee Health Working Group. One of the recommendations had been to improve communication between farmers and beekeepers during planting.
The working group was convened in 2013 to develop strategies to mitigate honey bees’ exposure to neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments on corn and soybeans.
North American and European studies indicate that residue from the seed treatments can contaminate dust created by certain types of planters used to plant corn and soybeans. The dust in turn has been blamed for several bee kills in Ontario that took place in recent planting seasons.
Questions about whether the pesticide type might have a chronic impact on bees and the environment have also been raised.
Tibor Szabo, vice president of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, says the app could eliminate some future problems by helping beekeepers and farmers coordinate to protect bees from traditional contact herbicides like 2,4-D. However, he says it will do little to stop bees’ exposure to neonicotinoids.
“Persistent, systemic insecticides are not single-use contact products, are designed to last in plants for a long time, and are a major concern for us,” he says. “Bees can forage pretty far from the hive and are in danger of coming into contact with harmful chemicals from a wide area.”
Part of the problem, he says, is that farmers do not always have much of a choice when it comes to treated and non-treated seed, making the app somewhat irrelevant.
“We might be able to connect with farmers, but it doesn’t mean much if there are no viable alternatives out there,” says Szabo. “We need our other farm associations and government to act together or we will lose our bee industry.”
Increasing the range of seed choice had been another of the Bee Health Working Group’s recommendations. BF
Comments
Maybe the bee keepers need to keep their bees in their hives while planting season is happening . You know just like keeping your livestock at home or in your barn !
While keeping the bees inside seems like a good idea, it is not a practical one. Especially when planting occurs during weeks that also provide some of the best forage for bees to build up to get through the rest of the season. There are not any easy answers here, but restricting use of neonics is a good start.
While keeping your bees in for a day or two while nearby planting is going on may sound like a good idea it won’t help with the planter dust that has contaminated nearby dandelion fields, water puddles or contaminated corn pollen bees may collect or is being blown around by the wind later on in the season. These products are thousands of times more toxic to bees than DDT, so I can’t see how they could be used safely.
Another practical impediment to keeping bees in during planting is that they will forage about 1.5 concession roads or lines in any direction. That will cover more than 1000 acres, not all of which are planted the same day. It will be hard to be aware of and act upon all planting intentions. As well locking bees up for extended periods at that time if year could lead to swarming, poor feed collection and thus productivity. We already can guess that corn and soy will be planted nearby. We can't manage around that, and in itself is not really the issue Greg Hawkins
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