Digest on Bee Poisoning, its Effects and Prevention

Effect on honey bees of dichlorvos and bromophos applied as sprays to white clover (Trifolium repensL.)

“…Although the present finding for dichlorvos is not in accord with the classification of this compound as toxic to honey bees by Anderson and Atkins (1966) and Johansen (1966), no details of the work on which their classifications were based are available. Under what we considered to be typical New Zealand conditions both dichlorvos and bromophos are safe to honey bees when applied to flowering white clover crops in the evening, after bees have ceased flying.…”

“…In the United States Johansen (1966) and Anderson and Atkins (1966) class dichlorvos as toxic to honey bees if applied to flowering crops. However, it is not always advisable to assume that the results of overseas work apply locally because climatic conditions, the type of crop to which the pesticide is applied, and other factors are often different in New Zealand (Palmer-Jones 1965).…”

The residual contact toxicity to honey bees of insecticides sprayed on to white clover (trifolium repens l.) in the laboratory

“…Carbaryl and malathion have not been fi~ld tested in New Zealand to find their toxicity to bees, but tests in the U.S.A. have shown that they are highly toxic to honey bees. Carbaryl is classified as too hazardous to apply to flowering crops, and malathion can be applied to such crops, with reasonable safety, only in the evenings (Johansen 1966).…”

Assessing the impact of pesticides on pollinators

“…Examples are avoiding applications during flowering and during pre-flowering safety intervals depending on the residual toxicity of the product, applications in the evening after daily bee flight, avoiding spray drift to bee-attractive crops or weeds, removal of flowering weeds in the crop's understory before application, or covering or removal of bee hives in or nearby the crop prior to the treatment (see e.g. Australian Government -Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, 2012, Hooven et al, 2013, CropLife International, 2017, Johansen and Wu-Smart, 2021. Label information is mandatory and is implemented in all countries, adapted to national situations and farming practices, and designed specifically for each product.…”