# Don't Use Pesticides! Get on your local 'NO SPRAY' List!



## simplybee (Apr 8, 2016)

Happy Spring! It’s that time of year when the birds are singing, the bees are buzzing … and the pesticides are being sprayed? Many counties, cities, and municipalities spray for pest management (particularly mosquitos) around the beginning of summer. But, as we have discussed in length here at simply.org, these pesticides can be harmful to the surrounding environment, pollinators, and humans (more information on the effects of pesticides is covered in our blog at www.simplybee.org).
The pesticides often used for citywide pest management include side effects as serious as cancer, while more mild effects include irritated asthma symptoms.

In many communities, some citizens make their living by either tending a self-sustainable garden or selling their produce to local and farmers markets – sales that are contingent upon the organic status of their produce and other goods. no spray eat local food. Citywide spraying can directly impact the livelihood of these citizens. Pollinators like bees, birds, butterflies, and more are severely impacted by these pesticides as well. Even chemical rich fertilizers used in city parks make populations of earthworms and other natural pest management microorganism entities almost obsolete.[1]

Countless cities have started to adopt more eco-friendly approaches to parks and public lands, effectively outlawing the use of certain types of pesticides (particularly neonicotinoid pesticides). More information on cities who pioneered these ordinances, the steps they took, and the bans implemented can be found on our blog at www.simplybee.org

But while these ordinances are going through necessary legislative steps, or whether they have not yet been started in your city or municipality, there are still steps you can take to ensure that your property, produce, and pollinators remain free from harmful citywide pesticide programs. ‘NO SPRAY’ signs can be obtained, officials can be contacted, and your name can be on records that indicate to the institutions responsible for the spraying that your house must be skipped. Therefore, the truck or other spraying mechanism will be turned off when passing your house. Getting neighbors involved can be very helpful, as this could result in your entire block remaining pesticide free. Pesticides affect humans, produce, and pollinators even more than we realize, and it’s time to take action as an engaged citizen against these harmful citywide practices.

In order to obtain ‘NO SPRAY’ signs, and be on ‘NO SPRAY’ lists, search for the department in your city, county, or municipality is responsible for organizing and implementing the spray(s). Many cities or states also have nonprofit or activist programs that can be joined as part of a larger movement against spraying of certain pesticides at all. It is prudent to both obtain the signs and call and contact the city/county/municipality you live in. Being thorough now can save a lot of environmental pollution and harm.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Do you think you might get some bees, Simplybee?


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## simplybee (Apr 8, 2016)

Yes, I have about 10 hives that I keep with my dad in colorado. He's the real expert, though. But I'm learning a lot. He has had bees in our yard since I was little - I am so lucky to grow up with them! How many hives do you have?


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

OK well 10 hives with your Dad in Colorado will be a great hobby, specially if he does all the hard work LOL. 

Are you guys treatment free?

How many do I have? My numbers vary because I just run a few as a hobby in my retirement and numbers go up and down as I breed then sell them, right now around 280 going into our winter, will go up and down again next season as I make nucs and singles, then sell them.

Just transfered this falls last 36 nucs into singles 2 days ago, still time to feed them heavily, make them draw some more comb and raise some more brood and get them into winterable condition, they will be sold as singles in spring.

Gonna fess up, I do keep the weeds around the hives down with roundup. No particular opinion on it, just what I was trained to do, and have always done.


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

simplybee said:


> Happy Spring! It’s that time of year when the birds are singing, the bees are buzzing … and the pesticides are being sprayed? Many counties, cities, and municipalities spray for pest management (particularly mosquitos) around the beginning of summer. But, as we have discussed in length here at simply.org, these pesticides can be harmful to the surrounding environment, pollinators, and humans (more information on the effects of pesticides is covered in our blog at www.simplybee.org).
> The pesticides often used for citywide pest management include side effects as serious as cancer, while more mild effects include irritated asthma symptoms.
> 
> In many communities, some citizens make their living by either tending a self-sustainable garden or selling their produce to local and farmers markets – sales that are contingent upon the organic status of their produce and other goods. no spray eat local food. Citywide spraying can directly impact the livelihood of these citizens. Pollinators like bees, birds, butterflies, and more are severely impacted by these pesticides as well. Even chemical rich fertilizers used in city parks make populations of earthworms and other natural pest management microorganism entities almost obsolete.[1]
> ...



This kind of post is called "singing to the choir", as most of us have been involved for years. Frankly, it comes off a tad presumptuous coming from someone who just joined this month and has all of 6 posts to their credit. Why not try learning something about us before you start preaching at us? After all, this forum has been around since the 90s and we have managed to learn a thing or three in that time. 

JMO

Rusty


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

For me it's just another agenda driven poster which I will avoid in the future.
It gives me a headache.


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## simplybee (Apr 8, 2016)

That's not how I meant it to come across at all. I was under the impression this was a place for us all to talk about our different experiences, and I was just trying to share resources with people and talk about how important bees, beekeepers, and local farmers are to communities. It is a big issue in my hometown right now, and so I thought I would join in the conversation. Aren't we all in this together?


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## simplybee (Apr 8, 2016)

Wow 280 - that's quite the hobby! Lol. Do you have any "winterizing" secrets? We had 20 hives going into last winter, but somehow only came out with 10. We've been keeping bees for years, and nothing like this has ever happened before, so it wasn't some kind of silly or rookie mistake or anything. A lot of the hives were ours and then swarmed, though, as we were pressed for space. We are treatment free, and are pretty conservative with the honey we do extract. It was, however, an unseasonably cold winter this year, with around 5 degrees being the norm.


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

Just another example of the green dogma predicated on emotion, and very little fact.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

simplybee said:


> But while these ordinances are going through necessary legislative steps, or whether they have not yet been started in your city or municipality, there are still steps you can take to ensure that your property, produce, and pollinators remain free from harmful citywide pesticide programs. ‘NO SPRAY’ signs can be obtained, officials can be contacted, and your name can be on records that indicate to the institutions responsible for the spraying that your house must be skipped. Therefore, the truck or other spraying mechanism will be turned off when passing your house. Getting neighbors involved can be very helpful, as this could result in your entire block remaining pesticide free. Pesticides affect humans, produce, and pollinators even more than we realize, and it’s time to take action as an engaged citizen against these harmful citywide practices.


I tried getting involved in local politics concerning beekeeping in my area and...
The politics of being political with politicians (and being politically correct) was simply too much for a guy like me to handle what with all the circle-talk and the undefined definitions. For instance the rule here is "no commercial beekeeping" so I asked the city council to define it. (commercial beekeeping) They're still working on that and I already told them the definition we use.


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## simplybee (Apr 8, 2016)

Hi Aunt Betty,

You're right, it can be really difficult to get the attention of the people in charge of managing the spraying programs in the first place - cities will give you all types of reasons for why its so important that they spray (west nile, etc). It's unfortunate that the resources available can prove to be a run-around. I hope to make a difference (at least in my hometown) in the accessibility of both those to contact and other resources. I hope they recognize you as a noncommercial beekeeper and honor your request! Make sure to keep documentation of your communication with them if you can incase they go ahead and spray before you get your answer.


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

Did you know that earthworms are an imported species in North America, like bees?
Bill


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

simplybee said:


> Do you have any "winterizing" secrets?


Yes. Send them into winter properly housed, fed, and healthy.

Those things are not really secrets, but all the same are often ignored by people who later post threads asking why their bees died.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Just to explain the adverse reactions, over the years there have been a lot of non beekeeper folks turn up here wanting to discuss little or nothing much about bees but just come here to push an agenda, often it has been something about chemicals. 

They then discover that not all beekeepers are of the same mind to themselves, and some of them have then got downright ugly about that, abusive even.

Your first post very much looked like just another one of those and probably pushed a few buttons from people who may have suffered abuse in the past.

Thing to be aware of here is first off this is a beekeeping chat site not a greeny activist site, and secondly the chemical spray thing has been debated here _ad nauseam_ over the years, several different sides of the coin have been presented along with research, and turns out bees are not on the brink of extinction.


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