Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Firestix on October 04, 2018, 01:02:18 pm
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I live in eastern NC and our area was heavily impacted and flooded by hurricane Florence. Now that the flood waters are abating, counties are devising plans to counteract the surge of large mosquitoes that have reared their ugly heads. Some are turning to the aerial spray method. Is there any studies on how aerial mosquito spraying affects honeybees? I have 5 hives and do not want to lose any. (I lost 4 last year) Is their anything I can do to mitigate any potential negative effects on my colonies?
Thanks in advance!
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Find out if they are spraying at night. If so you're bees should be OK. Ask them what chemicals they are spraying.
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It depends on what they are spraying. The stuff they usually use is rather safe. Last year after Irma, they were spraying chemicals that killed everything. I lost 12 of 13 hives. I know lots of beekeepers that lost 90% of their hives last year. Some 100%.
If you know of a location way out in a farm area where they do not spray, I would move them. If nothing else ride around and ask a farmer in you can park them until winter.
Jim
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If you know of a location way out in a farm area where they do not spray, I would move them.
That's the thing. They are spraying from a plan ... the whole county.
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They said , starting next week here in harnett county. At night, spraying naled from planes. You can call your local cooperative extension to get details. What i have read so far says to cover hives at night with blanket or sheet. I'll be calling Monday. Naled is said to be very toxic to bees. That's what they sprayed in s.c. few years back for zika virus and kill hundreds of hives. You can go to epa.org and get a little info. They authorized 296,000 $ just for our co. and hired some big gov. company to do it. I've lived in Louisiana and mosquitoes were terrible, it's not that bad here. I think it's big company's trying to get rid of stock piles of chemicals in disguise of helping people. H_ll i have a can of off.
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It's mostly big companies wanting more Gov. money for research to kill mites. This will kill off all the feral bees that have been developing resistance for 30 years and will have to start over. Not to mention all the other pollinating and beneficial insects they will kill. No resistance, no pollination, no natural growth left. All farming will depend on big chemical companies.
Better call them and tell them to not do it.
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This is just terrible. You guys make it through the hurricane just to be potentially ruined by this. It's not fair. :angry:
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Iddee,
I wish i could, and i'm not a Pres.of our county beeskeepers ass.
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Association. Rite
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If you know of a location way out in a farm area where they do not spray, I would move them.
That's the thing. They are spraying from a plan ... the whole county.
What did you end up doing, cross you fingers?
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They sprayed last night 9:00pm - 4:00am.
I was told by a apple orchard pollinator that doesn't move his hive's. He said when they plan to spray apple tree's. He covers hive's with wet bed sheet the night before and put a water sprinkler on hive's to make bee's think that it's raining and then removes 2 hrs. after spraying. So far so good, don't see dead bees.