How do you protect against insecticide spray?

[Terry G]

Across the road are hundreds of hectares of OSR. Next week the farmer will be spraying insecticide for the best part of a day. How should I protect my new bees?

 

[dpearce4]

Only way is to seal them in before and let them out after.

 

[Moggs]

Have a chat with farmer. Most are obliging and may be able to spray late in the day. Close down time can therefore be at a minimum. I'm about to put mine on OSR. Farmer has my phone number and will phone when he intends to spray and he will spray in the evening.

However, remember, farmer has a living to make and his work schedule may not entirely match that of your bees. Oops - revisited your post and realised all day job - difficult, but try above anyway.

 

[Browntea]

Have a chat with farmer. Most are obliging and may be able to spray late in the day. Close down time can therefore be at a minimum. I'm about to put mine on OSR. Farmer has my phone number and will phone when he intends to spray and he will spray in the evening.

this is what i do

 

[Moggs]

this is what i do

Ahhh, let us spray....

 

[Terry G]

I have spoken to the farmer - he will try to spray the section nearest to us later, but will be out there most of the day. I guess banging them up for the day is the only solution. They know it's for their own good

 

[masterBK]

I'm sure the farmer won't be spraying OSR with an insecticide while the crop is in flower. More likely to be a fungicide. If the seeds were coated with neonics then there is no need to spray insecticides for pollen beetle etc (next year when Neonics banned then we could have farmers spraying insecticides causing more problems than we have at the moment)

 

[Browntea]

last year i put hives in the field and didnt close up....i saw no harm done at all!!

 

[PBee]

......... If the seeds were coated with neonics then there is no need to spray insecticides for pollen beetle etc (next year when Neonics banned then we could have farmers spraying insecticides causing more problems than we have at the moment)

Seed treatments are not effective for pollen beetle control and the neonic used in pollen beetle sprays is not banned.

 

[Moggs]

I have spoken to the farmer - he will try to spray the section nearest to us later, but will be out there most of the day. I guess banging them up for the day is the only solution. They know it's for their own good

Unfortunately, you then run the risk of overheating Nobody said it was going to be easy.....

 

[waverider]

OSR is sprayed in early flower with products such as Dupont Explicit.

 

[Terry G]

Unfortunately, you then run the risk of overheating Nobody said it was going to be easy.....

I read somewhere about covering the hive with a wet sheet and pegging it out like a tent, so the bees stay ventilated and can take water from the sheet if they need to. Would that be a good solution?

 

[Hombre]

Hopefully spray day will be cool and not many bees flying. If you lock them up, you could put a travel screen on the top and prop up the lid for ventilaltion.

 

[Skyhook]

Are they on OMF? If so, that will help with ventilation. Either way you need to replace the crown board with a travelling screen the day before. A sheet doesn't sound like it would give enough ventilation, something like net curtain tied in place would be better; then put the lid back on. When the bees are in bed, block the entrance and lift the roof on a couple of battens to allow airflow but still give shade and shelter. If it's a hot day then spraying some water in would help- but what are the chances of a hot day?

Having said all that most people don't bother and don't have problems, but shutting them in is the surest way.

.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Across the road are hundreds of hectares of OSR. Next week the farmer will be spraying insecticide for the best part of a day. How should I protect my new bees? AND NEXT YEAR THEY WILL BE SPRAYING OSR ONCE A WEEK.. THATS WHAT THE FARMER HERE TOLD ME LAST WEEK.. HE SAID BECAUSE OF THE NEONOODLES THAT WILL BE BANNED

 

[Chris Luck]

If I went round trying to shut my bees in every time a farmer was spraying here...

1. I'd have no time to do much else, especially as the farmers round here wouldn't be bothered to inform in advance.

2. The bees would spend most of the time shut in as hardly a day goes by from March to June without spraying somewhere in their forage zone.

Chris

 

[Moggs]

If I went round trying to shut my bees in every time a farmer was spraying here...

1. I'd have no time to do much else, especially as the farmers round here wouldn't be bothered to inform in advance.

2. The bees would spend most of the time shut in as hardly a day goes by from March to June without spraying somewhere in their forage zone.

Chris

Chuckle. Yep, who's to say that spraying isn't happening on that yummy OSR acreage just over the horizon...

BTW, squelched my way to the OSR bees this pm - bees on a mission - delightful!

 

[Outlander]

We had spraying beginning of the week. On the NBKA site they mention about blocking the entrance and around the outside of the entrance with straw or such like. Apparently the bee thinking some disaster has happened to the outside of their hive, so set about trying to right it. States that they don’t panic just get on with the job in hand. The bees that do struggle through and make it to the outside hang about the hive. Village had some strips of chicken wire. These were about a foot wide and curled around the sides of the hive. These were tied with string and stuffed with straw. Worked a treat. Sure enough bees that got out just staying around the hive.

Have some pics on the phone will try a D/L them.

 

[Outlander]

It worked, put it on the night before. Make sure OMF open