AGRICULTURAL NEWS - A pollination services charter that aims to protect bees from harmful pesticide misuse was launched at Nampo 2017, in Bothaville, Free State.
Dirk Uys, marketing manager for Southern Africa at Bayer, said the crop protection industry had to mitigate bee loss.
“There needs to be co-operation between all role-players, especially crop producers who need to tell bee farmers when they want to apply pesticides,” Uys said.
According to the charter, the crop protection agencies would recommend pesticides within an integrated pest management programme and ensure that dust minimising measures from treated seed were introduced according to CropLife and SANSOR guidelines.
Crop growers should use registered products, avoid spraying when bees were foraging and apply after dusk.
