A common problem that many beekeepers face is the poisoning of their bees due to pesticides. It is the beekeeper’s responsibility to protect his/her bees from foraging on plants that have recently been sprayed with pesticides. If there are commercial farms near your hives, you may have to establish frequent contact with farmers and ask them if and when do they spray. Keep in mind that lawn gardens and urban backyard allotments can also be sprayed with chemicals. In case of spraying, you can either transfer your hives somewhere else or block the entrance of the hive for a day, so as to prevent foraging bees from visiting the plants (ask local experts and beekeeping unions).
If you observe a great number of dead bees outside the hive, bees unable to leave flowers, bees crawling instead of flying and/or a very small number of foraging bees during a high season blooming period, then there are chances that the bees have foraged in plants that have recently been sprayed with pesticides. Your colony may survive the poisoning or may not, but you have to seek advice from local experts, beekeeping association and state authorities.
You can enrich this article by leaving a comment or photo of your bees’ symptoms and diseases.
13.) Bee Poisoining from Pesticides
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