My neighbor's beehive changed how I think about gardening chemicals

I used to nuke my dandelions with weed killer every spring, no questions asked. Then last June, my neighbor Jeff asked me to stop because his bees kept dying after I sprayed. He showed me his hive log, 40 percent loss in one week. Has anyone else stopped using herbicides because of local pollinators?

3 comments

3 Comments

markh8522d ago

Did you switch to spot treating or quit herbicides entirely?

riley_wood8422d ago

You said "first buffet for bees coming out of winter" and that really stuck with me... Are you actually seeing more bee activity in your yard now that you've stopped spraying? I'm curious if you noticed it right away or if it took a whole season for them to show up. Because I spot treat with vinegar on a few thistles but still wonder if the little bit of vinegar residue bothers them at all.

dakota41522d ago

Hell yeah, I never even thought about the dandelion angle. Those things are basically the first buffet for bees coming out of winter, killing them off is like trashing the only gas station for 50 miles.