Know Where Bee Hives and Sensitive Crops are Before You Spray

July 10, 2024 4:00 PM
Blog Post

Last week a beekeeper contacted me about a total bee kill as a result of the adjacent soybean field being sprayed with an insecticide. The applicator was not aware of the presence of the bee hives, even though the hives were registered on  the FieldWatch® (https://fieldwatch.com/) Beecheck (https://beecheck.org/) apiary registry. Not taking a few minutes to look at the Beecheck apiary registry will cost the applicator over $5,000 to re-establish the bees and compensate for lost honey production.

This incident is a great reminder for producers of the importance registering bee hives and other sensitive crops through FieldWatch®. It is also a reminder for applicators to check Fieldwatch® prior to making applications.

In 2023, Betsy Danielson and Angie Rieck-Hinz wrote an excellent article with more information, which can be found here (https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2023/03/check-fieldwatch%C2%AE-pesticide-applications). This article also refers to a previous article by Betsy Danielson, Angie Rieck-Hinz, and Rebecca Vittetoe which can be found at here (https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/blog/angie-rieck-hinz-elizabeth-danielson-rebecca-vittetoe/reminders-private-pesticide-applicators).

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Virgil Schmitt Field Agronomist in SE Iowa

Virgil Schmitt has been in his current position since 1992, although counties he's covered have changed over time.

He's worked as an extension 4-H and youth leader in Butler and Grundy Counties and as an extension agriculturist in Linn County, Iowa. He taught high school agricultural ed...