Pollinator Protection and Regulation: Applicator Considerations, Laws, EPA mitigation, and MDA compensation What are Pollinators? Credit: Minnesota Department of Agriculture Pollinator Importance & Benefit Bee pollination responsible for $15-18 B/yr 30% of diet result of honey bee pollination Nuts, fruits, berries, vegetables dependent upon bees for pollination Almonds 100% reliant on honey bees CA almond industry requires 1.4 mil colonies; 60% of US colonies There is renewed emphasis on protecting pollinators in the environment. Honey bees are the most widely recognized and emphasized pollinator A significant amount of work in insect management has always addressed honey bee protection www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv 3 Threats to honeybees Diseases & parasites Pesticides Flowerless landscape = Poor nutrition Monocultures large expanse of one crop Dominance of turf & evergreens Arduous travel Above causes can interact add or multiply effects Workshop L.Ortiz Ribbing 1
Threats to native bees Destruction of nesting areas Tillage to fence rows Destruction of forage Reduction in weeds from improved herbicides Pesticides harmful to pollinators Fate of Wildlife Changes in the landscape Fence row removal Stream gullies Fewer wooded lots Waste fields disappear (good bee forage) Road cuts Outbuildings Eroded areas Pesticide Toxicity to Honey Bees Insecticides as a group tend to be more toxic to honey bees than fungicides and herbicides, Most insecticides can be applied to crops with little or no hazard to bees. However, because honey bees are insects, they are highly sensitive to several types of insecticides. David Hansen Poisoning of pollinators ALSO results from: Most poisonings occur when BEE-TOXIC INSECTICIDES are APPLIED to crops during the BLOOMING PERIOD. DRIFT of pesticides onto crops or plants in bloom, CONTAMINATION OF FLOWERING GROUND COVER plants Pesticide RESIDUES, PARTICLES, OR DUSTS picked up by foraging pollinators and taken back to the colony Pollinators drinking or touching CONTAMINATED WATER sources or dew on recently treated plants. Workshop L.Ortiz Ribbing 2
Honey bees forage 2.5 miles from colony, on average Pollinator Protection Box with the Bee icon will now appear on the label following the Environmental Hazards section. Bee Hazard Icon on Label Signals the pesticide s potential hazard to bees APPLICATION RESTRICTIONS Alerts users to separate restrictions on the label in: DIRECTIONS FOR USE These prohibit certain pesticide use when bees are present 1. Read and follow the label. 2. Determine if the pesticide is toxic to pollinators. 3. Understand local pollinator visitation habits. 4. Use Integrated Pest Management. 5. Follow pesticide stewardship practices. 6. Cooperate and communicate with others. 7. Know symptoms of pesticide exposure to bees. 8. Check local ordinances pertaining to pollinators. Workshop L.Ortiz Ribbing 3
1.Read and follow ALL pesticide label directions and precautions. Must reduce risk of pesticide exposure to honey bees and other pollinators. 2. Determine if the pesticide may be toxic to pollinators. The Environmental Hazard section of a label will indicate if a PTP* is moderately or highly toxic to bees if they come in contact with the pesticide. There is also a practically non-toxic to pollinators category of pesticides. * PTP Pollinator -toxic Pesticide 3.Understand local pollinator visitation habits. Pollinators are at risk the most when the vegetation is blooming. Observe application timing on the label relative to the blooming stage of crop and other plants. The right timing may be reduced by extended bloom or unfavorable weather conditions. Evening or nighttime applications are generally the least harmful to honey bees. 4.Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Consider all suitable practices for controlling pests. Use cultural practices that discourage pests from using a crop or landscape as a habitat. Carefully diagnose your pest problems. Monitor and assess pest populations to determine if levels warrant pesticide treatment. 5.Always follow pesticide stewardship practices. Minimize spray drift. Minimize vapor drift. Minimize off-site drift of seed treatment materials. 6.Cooperate and communicate with others who are concerned about preserving beneficial insects, including pollinators. Beekeepers Custom applicators Neighboring growers Workshop L.Ortiz Ribbing 4
7.Be familiar with the common symptoms of honey bee exposure to pesticides and what other stressors impact bee health. 8.Check for specific local ordinances pertaining to pollinators, especially beehive locations or designated preserves. Pollinator Legislation- 2013 States with recent Pollinator Laws Chapter 114 H.F. No. 976 Pollinator Report Process for special review of neonicotinoid pesticides Develop BMPs Integrate BMPs into training materials Public awareness 26 www.mda.state.mn.us/pollinators 27 Pollinator BMPs Pollinator BMPs BMP Workgroups: Goals and Objectives Advisory Work Group & Stake holder meetings Objectives: REDUCE Negative Impacts IMPROVE Existing Habitat CREATE New Habitat What was done? BMPs brochures and on web for: 1. Agricultural Landscapes 2. Yards Gardens 3. Roadsides & ROW 28 29 Workshop L.Ortiz Ribbing 5
REDUCE Negative Impacts Pollinator Friendly Pest Control Look at landscapes differently Determine undisturbed areas suitable for pollinator habitat Leave, where possible and safe. bare ground areas ground nesting bees standing dead trees, downed logs and flower stems cavity nesting bees Provide corridors Scout and monitor pest populations Use IPM and apply pesticides only when necessary Choose pesticides and formulations with low toxicity EPA s new Bee Advisory Box and icon Establish communication with bee keepers 30 31 CREATE New Habitat Pollinator Legislation: 2014 & 2015 Identify features/areas that can be recreated into pollinator habitat Check on NRCS incentive programs Install a living snow fence What is new? Compensation for bees killed by pesticide Labeling and advertising nursery stock 32 33 2015 Reimbursement Change MDA Pollinator Information MN Statute 18B.055 Compensation for Bees Killed by Pesticide Effective August 1, 2015 MDA Website Address www.mda.state.mn.us/pollinators (c) To be eligible for compensation under this section, the bee owner must be registered with a commonly utilized pesticide registry program designated by the commissioner. https://driftwatch.org/ 34 35 Workshop L.Ortiz Ribbing 6
1. Read and follow the label. 2. Determine if the pesticide is toxic to pollinators. 3. Understand local pollinator visitation habits. 4. Use Integrated Pest Management. 5. Follow pesticide stewardship practices. 6. Cooperate and communicate with others. 7. Know symptoms of pesticide exposure to bees. 8. Check local ordinances pertaining to pollinators. Questions? 37 Workshop L.Ortiz Ribbing 7