Thankfully the incidence of spray poisoning has declined in recent years, farmers and spray contractors taking particular care when dealing with bees.

For FARMERS and SPRAY CONTRACTORS, before spraying, the local beekeeper's spray liaison officer should be contacted so that local beekeepers can be contacted in turn. The recently published Voluntary Initiative emphasizes that insecticides should not be used in such a way that endangers bees.

For BEEKEEPERS, much of the responsibility lies with individual beekeepers, to ensure that local farmers and growers that might use agricultural chemicals during the course of their work, are aware of the nearby presence of beehives.

With applications to oilseed rape during the flowering period with products such as Hallmark, growers are advised to spray first thing in the morning or in the evening, when bee activity in the crop is lowest.

• Do not spray in the ‘heat of the day' when bees are particularly active.
  
• Do not apply when flowering weeds are present.
  
• Mixtures with triazole fungicides (which increase the potency to bees) should not be used where bees are likely to be foraging.
  
• Assuming that a treatment is necessary, it is important to spray in the evening when bee activity is declining or in the early morning before the sun has risen.
  
• Conservation headlands should never be treated with insecticide.
  
• Great care must be taken when applying insecticides next to watercourses. Local environmental risk assessments for pesticides (LERAPs) should always be adhered to where appropriate.