I had a neighbor spray an organic fungicide on his pine tree right across the fence from my hive. I do not know the brand he sprayed. There are not any flowers on the tree.
Will this impact my hive in any way?
Thanks,
Bill
If your on speaking terms with the neighbor ask him what he used as the fungicide. Then you will know where to concentrate for some research. Pine trees over here are a great pollen producer but very poor as regards nectar, some say the pines don’t produce any nectar. Some species here flower but the pollination I suspect is by pollen being the attractant to insects.
Till you know what he used there is no answer to your question Bill
Cheers
My understanding is that you would probably not be affected unless it was directly sprayed on the bees.
Pines don’t flower but have lots of pollen which bees don’t bother with usually because it has low nutrient levels. Bees do however like the sap from pines and that could be an avenue for them to be sprayed.
As Peter said ,just ask him what he sprayed and ask him to let you know when he will be spaying next time so you can isolate your bees during that time.
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The definition of organic varies from country to country. The classic organic fungicide here is the very inorganic copper sulphate, but I also see references to people using vinegar, bicarb and even diuted milk.
None of these should have any effect on your bees.
Is the tree diseased or is this a preventative for something?
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Not sure why he sprayed. Because of social distancing I will have to wait until he is in his back yard again maybe today.
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