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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2016)
Wednesday, May 25, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 23 Protect bees? There’s an app for that CORVALLIS, Ore. – Protecting bees from pes- ticides just got easier with the release by Oregon State University of a smartphone app that farmers and bee- keepers can use to consult a publication when they’re out in the field. The smartphone app accompanies OSU Extension’s 2013 publica- tion, How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides, PNW 591. Farmers and beekeepers can now remotely consult the publication’s pesticide tables on their phones or tablets. The popular guide lists 150 insecticides, fungicides, miti- cides, slug killers and growth disruptors —all of them now searchable by trade name or chemical name in the new app. “It’s a smartphone world,” said the publication’s lead author, Ramesh Sagili, an entomologist and Extension bee researcher in Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences. “Our stakeholders have been asking for an app to go along with this publication, and they’re very excited that we now have one.” “How to Reduce Bee Poisoning” was first pub- lished in 2006. It was expanded in 2013 by coauthor Louisa Hooven, a toxicologist and bee expert in the College of Agricultural Sciences, with an extensive update of the pesticide information. “We looked at the crops grown in the Northwest,” she said, “and then at all the prod- ucts that are likely to be used when the crop is flowering— which is when the bees will be foraging. Those were the pesticides we included.” Products are sorted into three classes: highly toxic, toxic and “no bee precaution- ary statement on label.” The ratings are based on the cau- tions and restrictions required by the Environmental Protection Agency and listed on the products’ labels, Hooven said. In addition, the guide estimates “residual toxic- ity” for several of the prod- ucts—that is, how long their harmful effects persist in the environment. That informa- tion, which is not required by the EPA and may or may not be on the label, came from Hooven’s extensive search through EPA risk assessment documents and the toxicology literature. “There was some infor- mation on residual toxicity in the previous edition,” she said. “We expanded the num- ber of products quite a lot, so we included residual toxicity information for those prod- ucts for which that’s known, and we updated the informa- tion for the products already listed.” The guide recommends best practices for managing pesticide applications to pro- tect all bee species—not only honey bees (Apis mellifera), but mason bees (Osmia lig- naria), alkali bees (Nomia melanderi) and alfalfa leaf- cutting bees (Megachile rotundata). These bee species are also managed as agricul- tural pollinators. It also tells how to pro- tect native ground-dwelling species such as squash bees, long-horned bees, sweat bees, mining bees and bumblebees. “Pesticides will affect these species differently than honey bees or other man- aged species,” said Hooven, “because they have different life habits and are present at different times.” West Coast agriculture is photo provIded Protecting bees is critically important. critically dependent on pol- linating insects, said Sagili, who has authored or coau- thored four other Extension publications on honey bees. “Crops in the Midwest, such as corn and soybeans, don’t require insects for pol- lination,” he said. “But with our diversity of crops, espe- cially our fruit trees, berries and seed crops, we really need them.” Oregon beekeepers man- age about 70,000 commer- cial honey bee hives, he said. The bees pollinate about 50 Oregon crops, including blueberries, cherries, pears, apples, clover, meadowfoam and vegetable seed. Sagili estimates the value of these crops at more than half a billion dollars yearly. The best protection for bees, he said, starts with good communication between grower and beekeeper. “Pesticide use and bee protection are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “There’s a balanced way to control pests and protect bees, both. We want this guide to be a useful tool for growers and beekeepers to make informed decisions together.” The publication and accompanying app are avail- able from OSU Extension and Experiment Station Communications (EESC). A user survey is included, and users are asked to complete it to guide EESC in future improvements of the app. BANR ENTERPRISES, LLC CONSULT | CONSTRUCT | COMPLETE CLEARING • EARTHWORK • GRADING • UTILITIES • ROCK WALLS ON-SITE SCREENING TO REMOVE ROCK & WOOD DEBRIS RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CONTRACTOR We listen. We build what you want on time and on budget. Quality: Start to fi nish. 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