# Quandary



## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome!


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## GZB (Jan 29, 2013)

Not that it's helpful, but I had a hive swarm into one of my hemlocks last year. They normally head for the apple trees in my yard. They only end up on the ground if you shake the tree or if it's a clipped queen that can't fly.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Save your Hemlocks! My suggestion would be to treat the ground (following label instructions of course) sometime after the pollen is released in the spring. Perhaps there are some Hemlock experts on here?


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## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

jim lyon said:


> Save your Hemlocks! My suggestion would be to treat the ground (following label instructions of course) sometime after the pollen is released in the spring. Perhaps there are some Hemlock experts on here?


+1, a drench is probably the most controlled delivery and safest for non-targeted insects.


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## Forgiven (Nov 17, 2016)

Um, drench means the plant sucks it up with water and it is now systemic part of all parts that get eaten/sucked on by insects...
If done after bloom I don't see problem for bees. During bloom big problem, before bloom ...well, then it becomes timing matter...

Edit: assuming bees visit hemlock flowers, I don't think it grows here so I have no idea. (Also would go for any flowers near the trees what will get some of the insecticide too)


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Hemlock does _not_ appear on this list of important bee forage plants compiled by the University of Georgia _Honey Bee Program_ :
http://caes2.caes.uga.edu/bees/pollination/plants-year-round-forage.html


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Hemlock does _not_ appear on this list of important bee forage plants compiled by the University of Georgia _Honey Bee Program_ :
> http://caes2.caes.uga.edu/bees/pollination/plants-year-round-forage.html


Hmmmm. This states sources of pollen AND nectar. Most everything on there are plants that secrete nectar. My experience in the piney woods of east Texas are that nothing stimulates queens quite like when the pines "explode" and everything gets coated with pollen.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

jim lyon said:


> My experience in the piney woods of east Texas are that nothing stimulates queens quite like when the pines "explode" and everything gets coated with pollen.


 :thumbsup: In my area when the hemlock, (and we have a ton of them) is in bloom the bees hit it for the pollen. So much so the constant buzzing net me swarm calls that turn out to be foragers loading up. 
With that said. treatment after bloom should be of little concern.


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## dlcooper52 (Jan 1, 2017)

Thanks all, for your helpful comments. However, I remain a little concerned.

The insecticide will enter all tissues of the Hemlock and persist for years. There won't be any loose chemical on the needle surfaces or bark but any "chewing" of plant tissue will be harmful to insects. I'm not aware of any "blooming" nature of the Hemlock to attract and harm the bees.

My concern may be academic as many in my area have already treated their Hemlocks. However, I'll sleep a little better if I don't add a jot to the problem.

Having identified these insecticides as so harmful to our beloved bees, maybe the government will move to ban them.............probably glacially.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Banning a single insecticide, while it might _sound_ appealing, is not necessarily a straightforward solution.

In many cases there are other products that get substituted for the [now restricted] item. The better question is ... "Will the remaining insecticides available be better or worse overall?". What will get used in place of the [now banned] item - because most likely, _something_ will get used.

In my opinion, a _targeted_ insecticide is likely a much better choice than a more general insecticide that that remains available and in use. Its just not realistic to expect that insecticides are going to go away.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Banning a single insecticide, while it might _sound_ appealing, is not necessarily a straightforward solution.
> 
> In many cases there are other products that get substituted for the [now restricted] item. The better question is ... "Will the remaining insecticides available be better or worse overall?". What will get used in place of the [now banned] item - because most likely, _something_ will get used.
> 
> In my opinion, a _targeted_ insecticide is likely a much better choice than a more general insecticide that that remains available and in use. Its just not realistic to expect that insecticides are going to go away.


Absolutely, I can't speak intelligently about the level of exposure bees get and how long it lasts from this sort of systemic tree treatment but I can speak with a lot of experience of the carnage that foliar sprays will cause to all insects that come into contact with the poison and not just those feeding on the plant itself.


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## dlcooper52 (Jan 1, 2017)

Oh, yes. When I was young we had toads, snakes, mantises and all manner of interesting critters in our yard. Then along came the packaged 4-step suburban lawn treatments and the associated, mindless spreading of poison and the resulting pretty, _sterile _landscapes.


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