Q. Question: Hello again Peter, My question is, “Where’s the bees?”. My fruit trees are all in various stages of bloom. I check them daily and have yet to see a bee or any other insect working the blossoms. I use no sprays or chemicals in my yard. Are my garden labors to be “fruitless” this year? Thanks, Henry Raynor – Puyallup, WA
Q. Hello Peter, I read your column quite often and am always learning something more than I thought I knew! I really don’t have a question exactly… I work for garden retailer and have been in the garden business for about 16 years now and I get concerned every spring for our busy little bee friends. Every spring customers come in wanting to spray their trees with something to kill pests. I explain to them that during the bloom time it is important not to spray insecticides into the fruit trees as it is so damaging to the bee population.(not to mention the lady bugs) Can you please pass this on in your column, and maybe include a few good choices for pest control(natural) to boot?? Thanks muchly, Lori Walters – Eatonville, WA
A. Well there seems to be some buzz (sorry I couldn’t resist) about this subject so let’s see what I can do to help unravel this complex issue. Even if you don’t spray in your yard Henry it doesn’t mean someone else in your neighborhood that “shares” the bees with you has not. Also development of land continues to diminish nesting sites for native bee populations. Native bees are great because they are much more tolerant of our weather conditions and will be out in earlier, in cooler and wetter weather than their domesticated cousins. And let’s not forget about the earliest of the bees the orchard mason bee, which comes out about the time Pieris (Lily of the valley shrub) starts blooming. Lori you are quite correct about spraying plants when they are blooming especially with non-selective insecticides like organophosphate based sprays (eg. Malathion, Sevin). Products will have warnings on the label when they are toxic to bees and should indicate not to spray on flowering plants when bees are present. So the best advice is to avoid spraying when plants are in bloom. But for cases where it is necessary let’s look into other options. Bees are active from approximately 6am to 8pm. The actual times are weather and day length dependent. You may see suggestions that low toxicity and natural sprays can be used when the bees are not active as long as they dry before bees are active again. This can work as long as the formulation is not somehow brought back to the hive. Dust or micro-encapsuled formulations are more likely to stick to the bees and be brought back to the hive. Even one of the safest natural insecticides, neem oil, can create problems because of its insect growth regulating properties. Although the spray won’t affect the worker bees, I have heard that it can coat the pollen which is then fed to the developing brood of bee larvae that won’t mature due to the growth regulator. Species-specific sprays like Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) can be used since they are specific to certain species of insects (Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera – moths butterlies, beetles, flies) and must be ingested by the larval stages of the species. For more specific information on this subject contact your County Agent/Master Gardeners at 1-877-WSU-MG4U.