Beeks—ALWAYS report pesticide kills—here is a group that helps to do that

It is VERY important for anyone with bees to report the incidence of pesticide kills to the State Dept of Pesticide Regulation and the EPA. IF YOU DO NOT, they will simply say that nothing bad ever happens and continue to allow the most egregious toxin applications and chemicals to go unchallenged. Michele Colopy is VERY helpful and nice and does all the work for you—all you have to do is provide the data and photos.

Dear Ms. Rudnicki,

The Pollinator Stewardship Council has been encouraging beekeepers to report their bee kills (not winter losses, that is BIP’s work) since 2013 http://pollinatorstewardship.org/?page_id=934 . We worked with the Honey Bee Health Coalition in May 2015 to create a guide on how to report bee kills due to pesticides. The attached article was printed in Bee Culture magazine, and the attached Quick Guide PDF was there as well. Beekeepers can request a laminated copy of the Quick Guide at http://pollinatorstewardship.org/?page_id=3292

Thank you for your due diligence in reporting your losses. It is only through awareness and data collection that we all can gain a better understanding of all of the factors (pests, pathogens, pesticides, and poor forage) affecting our honey bees whether it is 2 hives or 2000 colonies damaged or killed.

Even though EPA has stated they do not like to accept “second-hand” reports, such as from the Pollinator Stewardship Council; EPA does accept “second-hand” reports of pesticide incidents that were reported to pesticide manufacturers. When you and I spoke about your bee losses, I simply wrote down what you told me; you reviewed and approved the report, and gave me your permission to email the reports to CDPR and to EPA with your name and contact information in the report. (beekeepers can report their losses anonymously, and we will respect a beekeeper’s privacy to do so.) The Pollinator Stewardship Council is here to assist beekeepers in the reporting process. Our goal is to listen to beekeepers, explain the reporting process, and help them document their losses.

At this time the Pollinator Stewardship Council is part of a committee, along with other concerned nonprofits, working with EPA to revamp their incident reporting data collection.

Through more than 50 presentations around the U.S. the Pollinator Stewardship Council has provided information about reporting bee kills due to pesticide exposure, and encouraged beekeepers to report their losses. We need all beekeepers to report their losses (winter losses to Bee Informed Partnership as that data collection is important), and losses as a result of pesticide poisoning to the Pollinator Stewardship Council, EPA, and the beekeeper’s state EPA as this data is just as important in helping to improve the health of our bees. See reported losses athttp://pollinatorstewardship.org/?page_id=1428

I am very sorry for the losses you have experienced. Thank you for taking the time to report this incident. Please feel free to share this information with your beekeeping network.

Michele Colopy
Program Director
Pollinator Stewardship Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 304
Perkinston, MS 39573
832-727-9492
progdirector@pollinatorstewardship.org
http://www.pollinatorstewardship.org

The Pollinator Stewardship Council’s mission is to defend managed and native pollinators vital to a sustainable and affordable food supply from the adverse impact of pesticides.

We are a member of the Honey Bee Health Coalition