spraying the himalayan balsam

[Howsoonisnow]

I've just seen Bristol city Council spraying the himalayan balsam with round up with clouds of bees over the flowers as he sprays.

I was told the council 'have to be seen to be doing something' when I showed the sprayer the exploding seeds that will survive the spraying and winter.

Its just my bees are missing out on some winter feed.

Just an observation.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Typical Local Authority attitude - better to have loads of herbicide in the river than HB.

 

[johnandyrob]

I though that the route system was shallow so the method to get rid was to pull it up and then burn

 

[The Cumbrian]

Pull it up and burn it early in the season BEFORE it sets seeds.

 

[victor meldrew]

Pull it up and burn it early in the season BEFORE it sets seeds.

Leave it alone
VM

 

[The Cumbrian]

Having seen the damage it can do I am afraid I am not that forgiving (or selfish).

 

[johnandyrob]

I dont have any within flying distance of my bees so dont have the conflict of interests

 

[madasafish]

If the Council were spraying plants with bees on, chances are they will kill bees.
Contact your local newspaper and complain about how non- green the council are at a time of hardship for bees... etc.

 

[Winker]

I've just seen Bristol city Council spraying the himalayan balsam with round up with clouds of bees over the flowers as he sprays.

I was told the council 'have to be seen to be doing something' when I showed the sprayer the exploding seeds that will survive the spraying and winter.

Its just my bees are missing out on some winter feed.

Just an observation.

what a bunch of idiots, its all dying off now, their seeds have all popped and made their way to their new homes. If your going to try and kill it off, i would think it should have been done 3 months ago. Not with round up either as it kills off everything, the good the bad and the ugly!

 

[Winker]

If the Council were spraying plants with bees on, chances are they will kill bees.
Contact your local newspaper and complain about how non- green the council are at a time of hardship for bees... etc.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Pull it up and burn it early in the season BEFORE it sets seeds.

The local Wildlife Trust near me do a great job of getting volunteers to pull the stuff up and burn it.
Whilst one of my apiaries is within flying distance I have no problem with them doing it - I would rather have a clear conscience than a few extra jars of honey.
HB does real damage to some quite sensitive wildlife habitats.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

If the Council were spraying plants with bees on, chances are they will kill bees.
Contact your local newspaper and complain about how non- green the council are at a time of hardship for bees... etc.

Just a word of warning about this....it could well result in a "selfish beekeepers want honey crop at the expense of the enviroment" kind of story.

 

[alanf]

I've just seen Bristol city Council spraying the himalayan balsam with round up.

OK, so the balsam dies down slightly earlier than it would have done, but a lot of seed will be set and fallen already. Meanwhile roundup is killing all the perennials including any grasses or natives leaving a bare soil. Bare soil that the balsam seed will be on and provide a suitable seed bed to see it off to a good start next year.

Short of collecting and sowing the seed yourself you couldn't really have a better way way of encouraging more balsam.

 

[newportbuzz]

Just a word of warning about this....it could well result in a "selfish beekeepers want honey crop at the expense of the enviroment" kind of story.

not nessiarily. i nice phone call to the council saying you have noticed a lot of mortality in your bees since the DAYLIGHT spraying incident and could they please spray FLOWERING plants in the nightime same as everyone else is suposed to do BY LAW. should put some turd sideways in them and you have even been reasonable.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

not nessiarily. i nice phone call to the council saying you have noticed a lot of mortality in your bees since the DAYLIGHT spraying incident and could they please spray FLOWERING plants in the nightime same as everyone else is suposed to do BY LAW. should put some turd sideways in them and you have even been reasonable.

I agree, but my warning was about contacting the local newspaper not the council.

 

[victor meldrew]

Nothing illegal about their actions
Morality is a matter that escapes bureaucracy
VM

 

[Chris Luck]

In France it would be illegal to use a chemical spray on a watercourse, (or less than 5 metres from one for that matter), is that not the case in the UK?

Invasive introduced aquatic or bank side plants are removed by hand.

Chris

 

[stilllearning]

roundup won't kill the bees, so don't worry there, in fact sprays have come a long way in the last decade or so the majority of insecticides will kill specifically what they're designed for. a chemical called hostithion(not sure about spelling) was used on OSR many moons ago to kill the pollen weavil except it used to kill everything that had six legs, but that has long since been banned...as much as we moan about our country and the rules and regs, one thing you can rely on is the very stringent laws regarding sprays in fact we are more fussy over here than our european collegues, and the americans................well don't even go there I'm not concerned at all about sprays, yes there's one or two that can be harmful but 99% of farmers are very careful about how/what they spray, they have to be, spray is NOT cheap, of course they'll be one or two that flaunt the law but you get them in all walks of life.....even beekeeping

 

[Brosville]

" I'm not concerned at all about sprays, yes there's one or two that can be harmful but 99% of farmers are very careful about how/what they spray, they have to be, spray is NOT cheap, of course they'll be one or two that flaunt the law but you get them in all walks of life.....even beekeeping"

in a word - "cobblers!" - farmers are often cavalier in it's use, the pesticide companies act as advisors to DEFRA, NFU and BBKA, we have some of the laxest regulations in the developed world and sadly, it looks like some people swallow their poisonous drivel...

Roundup is by no means the "safe" chemical it has been touted as for years - I'd suggest reading up on the very real dangers of the damn stuff!

 

[The Cumbrian]

Would I be terribly out of place asking for a few bits of evidence,

1. "Farmers are often cavalier" - what evidence is there other than hearsay. I have in the past had quite a bit to do with agriculture (admittedly over 10 years ago now) but I never came across a farmer who wasn't a) careful with not wasting his money and b) was careful in the way he worked and his use of chemicals. Perhaps I lead a charmed life.

2. "some of the laxest regulations in the developed world" You have obviously had the chance to compare the regulations of the "developed world" so could you point me towards the references so that I can compare them.

Thanks for any information supplied.