Terry Coombs said:

My concern is not for me , but for the bees ... we have one hive so far ,
but it'll be split in the spring assuming it is strong enough and our goal
is 5-8 hives total . Fortunately there is very little monocropping in our
area , no soybeans , rice , etc .

You mentioned seed saving, so I figured you were concerned for yourself.

The big risk to bees from treated seeds is due to the dust generated
spreading to bee forage nearby and actual applications of neonics in
quantity to plants, particularly orchards (as a control for beetles that attack
fruit) and lawns (to control grubs). It's also used to inject landscape trees
(the only actual verified control for emerald ash borer, for example).

If your neighbors' are treating for grubs, that might be an issue, particularly
if their lawns contain white clover or they have extensive flower gardens that
could have taken up the grub control.


--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"Yes, swooping is bad."

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