From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Pataskala,OH

I think this is an important topic, I re posted it under a different title so that it would get the attention it deserves.

Do we as a group think we should stop using merit and other neonicotinoid insecticides on our giant vegetables? It seems it is becoming clearer that they are part of what is causing Colony Collapse Disorder in bees. It is not media hype anymore study after study keep coming to the same conclusions. If we stop using merit what alternatives are there to use? Even if merit is not damaging to bees if there are other insecticides to switch to then we should just in case.

http://www.nwherald.com/2012/03/31/pesticides-tied-to-bees-decline/amykckt/?page=1

4/1/2012 3:35:08 PM

Pataskala,OH

I understand we are a small group, and we do not contribute that much to the problem, but we should set an example.

4/1/2012 3:36:46 PM

canal winchester ohio

only a problem if your plant runs rampant Nic. If it's the bees your concerned about then only allow the flowers you want to bloom to bloom ( that's what I do). Pulling off all unwanted males & females before blooming would eliminate the risk of infecting bees.

4/1/2012 3:42:36 PM

canal winchester ohio

just a follow up Nic. until a few years ago I didn't give a rats ass about taking blooms off but one evening I was walking thru the patch & noticed dead bees in every old male blossom. It hit me then that this wasn't a good thing & I've been picking off uneeded ones before blooming ever since.

4/1/2012 3:51:45 PM

Seattle, WA

NP,

I agree that this is a very serious issue. I think supporting products and companies that produce such products becomes an ethical issue, even though the actual environmental impact may be small.

Pardon my ignorance because I don't have/use these products, but what insects are you specifically addressing with these products? Depending on the insect, I may be able to offer some organic alternatives.

4/1/2012 5:02:52 PM

Pataskala,OH

Well I do not grow giant pumpkins anymore so I do not have to use it. SVB was the pest. The giant watermelon plants do not need it,I was going to use it but now I will not.I was just informing others so they can avoid the same mistakes, either by removing all flowers or by not using it.

4/1/2012 6:28:39 PM

Alex, IN

One major point to remember with this is that it is only the Honey Bee that has beening affected by CCD. Merit (Imidicloprid) is one of a slew of suspects. One must also know that these colonies are put under a lot of stress from moving from place to place, their diets change constantly and there are many other factors that are all suspected causes of CCD. CCD is something that is still not fully understood and Merit is just one of many factors that lead to CCD's occurence.

I am very carefull about protecting bees but unless you have someone with honey bee hives close to your patch this would not really affect you.

4/1/2012 6:50:39 PM

canal winchester ohio

I do, thats why I do it my way

4/1/2012 7:04:31 PM

Hinckley MN

It is not just the neonicitinoids, it is all systemics that impact bees. it is also not just honeybees afected by Colony Collapse Disorder, but many, if not all, native bee species, too. Some areas in China have had to hand polinate fruit orchards because all of the bees are gone. can you imagine hand polinating acres of pear and apple trees?

4/1/2012 7:50:30 PM

Muddy Waters

http://inhabitat.com/its-official-cell-phones-are-killing-bees/

4/1/2012 8:31:16 PM

Corryton, TN

I keep bees. I use Imidicloprid on commercial and competition plants. No CCD problems here. I'd quit using it if I thought it was a problem. Still too many variables. If you use it FOLLOW THE LABEL.

4/1/2012 8:59:15 PM

Kentucky

I started out with one hive. I have had 40 or 50 swarms that I know of over the past 4 years. With that many swarms from just starting with one hive if somthing doesn't take some of them out then I personally think that they would take over. Plus Honey bees are not native to this continent we brought them with us

4/1/2012 9:31:58 PM

Central Ca

brotherdave is right. A lot of environmental messes could be averted by following the label. All things in moderation.
There are also parasitic mites that aren't helping the bees.

4/2/2012 12:23:45 AM

Central Ca

At the end of Feb and beginning of March you couldn't convince me there's a bee problem. Several hundred hives are temporarily based at our ranch right b4 almond bloom. There's nothing like walking thru an orchard in full bloom while listening to the low buzzing hum of bees at work. It's mesmerizing.

4/2/2012 12:33:11 AM

Ohio

good post NP

These are the kind of posts where I really miss Steve Jepsen (Tremor) input, especially when it comes to Merit, or any other Pesticide/fungicides

In the past few years I have seen ALOT more Honey Bees then I every have, WAY more to what I have seen 5 or 6 years ago.
Its definitely still not like it used to be when I was a kid, there was so many honey Bees you didn't dare walk through your yard barefoot because you would get stung.

Do you guys think the honey bee's are on their way back?

4/2/2012 7:37:59 AM

Corryton, TN

In general, yes. A lot of the credit goes to pesticide awareness and practices. A huge contribution also from breeders of resistant strains of bees like Susan Colbey. Not sure if she is still at Ohio State or at UC Davis.

4/2/2012 11:22:41 AM

Corryton, TN

Last name is Cobey.

4/2/2012 11:26:11 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Use Granular Merit....

4/2/2012 12:16:47 PM

Colorado

Obviously bees and pesticides dont mix. The bee health is affected greatly by shipping bees from all over north america to california every winter and then back to summer range so they can vector diseases in both directions.That practice is a major contributor to the diseased state of honey bees along with agricultural pesticides IMO

4/2/2012 12:18:28 PM

Fairfield, CT, 06825

I keep bees and I just cut males I am not going to use before they open.

4/2/2012 5:17:29 PM

The bottom of New Jersey

If there was more of a wild honey bee population like there used to be, keepers wouldn't have to move them around nearly as much for pollination. It seems like, around here anyway, more people are keeping hives these days which is great but it doesn't necessarily mean the problem is going away. Kind of like snow doesn't mean that global warming doesn't exist. And insecticides, even organic ones, can kill lots of beneficial insects, not just honeybees.

4/3/2012 11:16:20 AM