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"BEE AWARE" of Honey Bees

Good spring rains are a trigger for budding of  Coolibah trees(Eucalyptus microtheca)which are a primary soure of nectar and pollen for honey bees. These trees grow on the black soil plains along many of the river courses  in the cotton growing areas of north westem NSW ard south westem and central western Queensland. These trees bud and flower after good rains have been received. In northem NSW the buds appear in November and the trees begin to flower mid-late December finishing about about the end ofJanuary, budding and flowering times vary by a few weeks in both the the southem and central Qld areas. When heavy budding occurs beekeepers often move large numbers of hives  into cotton growing areas for honey production.

Bees are particularly susceptible to a large number of insecticides used on cotton farms such as abamectin, fipronil, bifenthurin, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, deltarnethrin, indoxacarb, parathion-methyl and profenofos, to name just a few. Bees in search of poIlen and ncctar are generally active between 7:00am and 4:OOpm in cotton crops but will forage between sunrise and sunset on other plants when nectar and pollen are available. Altliough foraging bees gencr~lly remain within 2-3 krn of their hives if good pollen and nectar sources are available there are reports ofbees flying 7 km to forage on cotton crops. As well as bees flying to the cotton crop, damage may occur to bees when pesticides drift over apiaries or on to native vegetation that is being foraged by bees. In cotton, honey bees collect nectar fiom extra-floral nectaries as well as floral nectaries and may be foraging in a cotton crop before, during and for a short time after the crop has flowers present. The cotton growing environment maybe a high risk environment for honey bees and most bee keepers are aware of the likely consequences of their bees foraging in and around cotton farms during the spray season. With good communication and good will it is possible for apiarists and cotton growers to work together to minimise some of these risks to bees, as the honey industry is important to regional development.

Some measures that can be taken to avoid significant effects on bees include.

1. Apiarists informing cotton growers where hives are located.
2. Cotton growers informing bee keepers when they are likely to spray and with what insecticides so that the bee keepers may take precautionary measures. Due to the logistics involved in moving an apiary beekeepers require as much warning time as possible and, where practical, 24 hours warning is required. 
3. Apiarists position their hives deep within tree stands where practicable to minimise possible spray drift impacts. Apiarists avoid locating hives on the prevailing downwind side of cotton fields.
4. Where possible and practical cotton growers restrict spray activities (within flight range of apiaries) until after 4.00pm by which time the numbers of honey bees present in a cotton crop would be at low levels. Growers and applicators need to be aware though that it is in the early mornings and late afternoons that inversion layers are either present or forming and this can increase the likelihood of spray drift.
5. Growers and consultants refer to the table in the IPM guidelines lmpact of insecticides and miticides on predators in cotton (October 2005 update)   to select pesticides that have the lowest residual toxic effects on bees.

Cotton growers wishing to find out more may contact the Queensland Beekeeper Association Inc-
Bob Johnson, Secretary, Queensland Beekeepers Association Inc, PO Box49 Mapleton 4560 (PH 07-5445 7512) Email: qba@hvpermax.net.au

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