Microencapsulated materials such as Penncap-M are particularly dangerous to use around bees because the capsules have a special tendency to adhere to bees due to their size and electrostatic charge, and because the contaminated pollen collected by bees in the treated fields is stored in the hive and remains toxic for an extended period. However, granular insecticides are less hazardous to honey bees. A wettable powder such as Sevin 80S would usually remain toxic in the field for longer time than Sevin XLR Plus, an emulsifiable concentrate. Dust formulations are typically more hazardous than sprays because they are picked up on bee hairs. Choice of Formulation: Different formulations, even of the same pesticide, often vary considerably in their toxicity to bees.Among the materials in this high-risk category are diazinon, Imidan, malathion and Sevin. One group of insecticides which is highly toxic to honey bees cannot be applied to blooming crops when bees are present without causing serious injury to colonies. The biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis exhibits very low toxicity to bees. Most fungicides, herbicides and miticides are relatively nontoxic to honey bees and can generally be used around them without serious harm. Relative Toxicity of the Chemical: Pesticides vary in their toxicity to honey bees.Insecticide applications are generally not recommended on blooming crops. Plant Growth Stage: Severe bee poisoning most often results from spraying insecticides directly on flowering plants.The most important factors are outlined below. Many factors involving insecticide application affect the potential for honey bee losses. Growers of most insect-pollinated crops (apples, raspberries, cucurbits, alfalfa seed and many others) experience lower yields, and ultimately the consumer must pay higher food prices. Such losses have a devastating impact on the beekeeper, who may have to relocate damaged hives or perhaps even be forced out of business. Each year many honey bee colonies are damaged or destroyed by pesticides, primarily insecticides. Unfortunately, many agricultural pesticides may be toxic to bees. "Pesticide" is a general term used for a chemical designed to kill target pests such as insects (insecticide), mites (miticide), weeds (herbicide) and organisms which cause plant diseases such as bacteria (bactericide) and fungi (fungicide).
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