Pesticide believed to kill bees is authorised for use in England

Re:Pesticide believed to kill bees is authorised for use in ... by 40four on Monday January 11, 2021 @11:11AM (#25730840)

Despite having smaller farms, I would be very surprised if farmers in the UK were not working with local beekeepers. Anytime you see a those hive boxes sitting randomly in a field somewhere, this is what you are seeing.

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Re:Pesticide believed to kill bees is authorised for use in ... by GordonS on Tuesday January 12, 2021 @06:07AM (#25745238)

Here in the UK, I've never seen hive boxes sitting randomly in a field :)

Since I posted my original comment, I was interested to find out more. My wife knows a couple of wives of farmer, so she asked 2 on my behalf, and both said they don't do anything like this, and haven't heard of it either. Might depend what crops you are farming, and where?

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Re:Pesticide believed to kill bees is authorised for use in ... by 40four on Tuesday January 12, 2021 @11:22AM (#25748978)

Is it possible they are growing crops that don't require pollination? Many do not.

Even though farms are smaller in the UK, am I correct in assuming that many farmers still practice mono-crop? If they do, then depending on wild pollinators alone is never going to be the best strategy. Crop yields will always increase significantly by introducing farmed bee-hives.

Here is an article I found from the UK Bee Farmers Association https://beefarmers.co.uk/working-with-other-sectors/contract...

It says in the organization even runs a 'National Pollination Service' with a sitting 'Pollination Secretary'.

I think beekeeping is a very interesting industry. I'm sure many people in the UK and the States are probably unaware of these practices and how integral they are to farming.

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