# Herbicides and honey bees?



## Durstlight (Apr 25, 2013)

Does herbacides effect bees? Wanting to kill an invasive plant on my property with use of an herbacide, are there any "weed killers" any one recommends that will not harm my bees at all? Thanks for the input


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## John R C (Mar 15, 2011)

Read the label and follow directions. If its harmful it will say so. Most wont affect bees but there are a few. If you have to just move the bees


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

is it a plant the bees are working?? if not no worries....


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Herbicides have been in use for 70 years. They kill honey plants not honey bees


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## BigDawg (Apr 21, 2013)

Use a 50-50 mixture of water and white vinegar with a 1/4 cup of liquid dishwashing soap added in (per five gallons +/-). It's cheap, effective, and completely non-toxic to bees and other beneficial insects like ladybugs, etc.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

BigDawg said:


> Use a 50-50 mixture of water and white vinegar with a *cup of liquid dishwashing soap* added in. It's cheap, effective, and completely *non-toxic* to bees and other beneficial insects like ladybugs, etc.




Perhaps you should do some more _research _before you make wild statements like this!



> *Bees* are amongst the most common of household pests. Beehives are often found in the garden space. Bees tend to feed upon plants and often invade the inner, domestic space too. Insecticides retailed as ‘effective’ solutions against bees present many problems. They can prove damaging to the surrounding plants, homeowners and even pets. A smarter way of eliminating bees from your garden is using soapy water.*Soaps: Safer Bee-killers*
> 
> *Soaps are easy-to-handle bee-killers and are as efficient as chemical-loaded insecticides.* Since they contain basic, household chemicals, they aren't damaging to the surrounding environment. Unlike most chemical bee repellents/sprays, soapy solutions don’t leave a heavy reside.
> 
> http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-kill-bees-naturally-with-soap#b


:ws:


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## BigDawg (Apr 21, 2013)

Yes, pure soapy water can be used to kill bees when sprayed directly on them, but, when mixed with the water and vinegar mixture the soap merely acts as a surfactant to allow the vinegar to cling to the target plant leaf longer and would dry very quickly posing very little risk to bees.

Lastly, I meant to type 1/4 cup of dishwasing soap--not one cup and that would be for 5 gallons of mixture.


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## BigDawg (Apr 21, 2013)

Umm, maybe YOU should do some research??? It's not that the soap is toxic, it's that it allows the water to so thoroughly coat the bees so that they drown:


*"Soap kills insects because it is a surfactant—a substance that essentially makes water wetter. *If you take a leaf and spray it with plain water, the water forms little round droplets. If you spray the same leaf with soapy water, the water flattens out into a thin layer. The wax of the leaf is a fatty substance much like the wax on the outside of an insect or the grease on your dishes—normally water cannot penetrate it. But add soap to the water and suddenly the water and the wax (or grease) form an attraction for each other.

In effect, the molecules of water—with the help of the soap—surround the fatty molecules. In the case of your dishes, molecules of fat surrounded by the soapy water are released from the dish and go down the drain. On the leaf or insect, the molecules of wax surrounded by soapy water allow more water to freely enter the insect’s body. *Essentially, it drowns.*

http://www.honeybeesuite.com/how-to-kill-bees-with-soapy-water/




Rader Sidetrack said:


> Perhaps you should do some more _research _before you make wild statements like this!
> 
> 
> :ws:


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

BigDawg said:


> Umm, maybe YOU should do some research??? It's not that the soap is toxic, it's that it allows the water to so thoroughly coat the bees so that they drown:


I'm sure the subtle difference will be lost on the dead bee.

While your homebrew herbicide will burn down the foliage on many plants it may not kill many perennial weeds. Without knowing what the plant is it is hard to know what would be the best way to get rid of it.

Tom


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Glyphosate (Roundup), properly applied according to label directions, won't harm bees. Do be careful to avoid runoff into water like ditches, streams etc.


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## ShelleyStuart (Jan 4, 2010)

BigDawg said:


> Use a 50-50 mixture of water and white vinegar with a 1/4 cup of liquid dishwashing soap added in (per five gallons +/-). It's cheap, effective, and completely non-toxic to bees and other beneficial insects like ladybugs, etc.


I've tried this recipe (and some variations including 100% vinegar) pretty extensively. I really hoped it would work; I have to worry about pets and kids with thinking about weed control. 

It did, but not for everything and not long-term. The broadleaf plants (dandelions) responded best, and the grasses pretty much ignored it. Depending on what kind of invasive you have this might be a good option, but for something like knotweed (where you need to kill the plant down to the root and beyond) it may not work as well.


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