farther. The best weather conditions to spray chemicals with minimal drift is when
temperatures are moderate, air is slightly humid and with a very mild steady wind or
no wind.
The application methods and equipment settings when spraying pesticides are
also important factors of chemical drift. Since small droplets will most likely drift
farther, aerial applications and mist blowers should be avoided when possible. When
using standard boom sprayer equipment, set the nozzle as low as possible and
operate the sprayer at the lowest effective pressure; always calibrate the sprayers
to make sure that no excess amount of pesticide will be applied [111, 112].
5.4 Government: Legislation
5.4.1 General
Different governments have reacted differently to pollinator decline threats based on
beekeeper and agriculture industry input and available research. Governments may
issue regulations or laws for the purposes of supporting pollinators, while departments and organizations under government oversight may issue their own guidelines. Not all governments recognize threats to honey bees or wild pollinators to the
same extent. Moreover, regulations are constantly changing due to political influences, lobbyist pressure, and new findings. Legislation and regulations will often
address pollinators in general as opposed to only managed honey bees.
For example, the European Union has restricted or banned the use of
neonicotinoid insecticides and Fipronil in 2013, but the regulations are under review.
The United Kingdom recently suspended a neonicotinoid ban, allowing use on 5%
of England’s rapeseed crop up to 30,000 hectares. The province of Ontario, Canada,
began restricting neonicotinoid-treated seeds in July 1, 2015, under the Pesticides
Act, where the number of acres using treated seeds will be reduced by 80% by 2017
[114–117].
In the United States, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is
empowered to implement legislation, share knowledge with stakeholders, issue
guidelines, and other activities relevant to pollinators in relation to environmental
health. The Saving America’s Pollinators Act of 2013 (H.R.2692) requires the US
EPA to suspend neonicotinoid insecticide registration from that point forward, until
the agency has a full review of scientific evidence plus field studies to demonstrate
that these chemicals have no unreasonable negative effect on animal
pollinators [118].
In 2014, the National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System under the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service began to phase out the use of genetically modified crops
and neonicotinoid pesticides in agricultural programs, where a third of crops grown
across less than 50 system refuges were left for wildlife consumption. The use of
genetically modified crops was deemed unnecessary for the scope of wildlife
management, while neonicotinoid pesticides typically used as seed treatments
40
C. Li
temperatures are moderate, air is slightly humid and with a very mild steady wind or
no wind.
The application methods and equipment settings when spraying pesticides are
also important factors of chemical drift. Since small droplets will most likely drift
farther, aerial applications and mist blowers should be avoided when possible. When
using standard boom sprayer equipment, set the nozzle as low as possible and
operate the sprayer at the lowest effective pressure; always calibrate the sprayers
to make sure that no excess amount of pesticide will be applied [111, 112].
5.4 Government: Legislation
5.4.1 General
Different governments have reacted differently to pollinator decline threats based on
beekeeper and agriculture industry input and available research. Governments may
issue regulations or laws for the purposes of supporting pollinators, while departments and organizations under government oversight may issue their own guidelines. Not all governments recognize threats to honey bees or wild pollinators to the
same extent. Moreover, regulations are constantly changing due to political influences, lobbyist pressure, and new findings. Legislation and regulations will often
address pollinators in general as opposed to only managed honey bees.
For example, the European Union has restricted or banned the use of
neonicotinoid insecticides and Fipronil in 2013, but the regulations are under review.
The United Kingdom recently suspended a neonicotinoid ban, allowing use on 5%
of England’s rapeseed crop up to 30,000 hectares. The province of Ontario, Canada,
began restricting neonicotinoid-treated seeds in July 1, 2015, under the Pesticides
Act, where the number of acres using treated seeds will be reduced by 80% by 2017
[114–117].
In the United States, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is
empowered to implement legislation, share knowledge with stakeholders, issue
guidelines, and other activities relevant to pollinators in relation to environmental
health. The Saving America’s Pollinators Act of 2013 (H.R.2692) requires the US
EPA to suspend neonicotinoid insecticide registration from that point forward, until
the agency has a full review of scientific evidence plus field studies to demonstrate
that these chemicals have no unreasonable negative effect on animal
pollinators [118].
In 2014, the National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System under the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service began to phase out the use of genetically modified crops
and neonicotinoid pesticides in agricultural programs, where a third of crops grown
across less than 50 system refuges were left for wildlife consumption. The use of
genetically modified crops was deemed unnecessary for the scope of wildlife
management, while neonicotinoid pesticides typically used as seed treatments
40
C. Li