How far from a field should my hives be located?

[craneman54]

I live in a farming area. How far would I have to have my bees from a field as far as crop spraying for insects?

There is a field that usually gets rotated in crops from corn to Milo to soybeans. The field is about 700 feet form where I want to put my hives when I catch some swarms.
Would this be far enough? If not what is the minimum distance suggested? I can go a little further from the field but that would put my hives in my front yard which I would rather not do.

[Packrat3wires]

How many acres do you have at your disposal?    The further from the other fields the better because of wind drift.    My hives are nearly 2500' from my nearest neighbors soybean field.

[cao]

My hives are nearly 2500' from my nearest neighbors soybean field.

I wish that I had that much.  My hives are about 1/10 that distance.  Although there is a row of trees between the field and my hives.  I haven't noticed any problems with the spraying but, I have noticed the past two years that I had some dead bees the day after they planted corn.

[craneman54]

I only have four acres. The field is at the SW corner of the back yard and I have my stand for the hives on the North side about middle of my property.

The property is just over 800 feet deep by a little more than 600 feet wide. I have no access to any other land to place the hive on.

[OldMech]

Look at google earth, and draw a circle around your hives at 3 miles, and around 7 miles..  three miles if the flow is fair in your area and the bees do not need to go futher. 7 miles in a bad situation. They will go that far, and possibly further to get what is necessary for their survival.

   Most of my hives are within fifteen feet of corn and soybeans.  Farmers dont "spray" with insecticides like they used to, so I no longer walk up on DEAD outyards like happened so often in the past.. now they use treated seeds. Neonicitinoid coated seeds, so the insecticides are systemic, inside the plants, rather than being sprayed.  it is a double edged sword..  True, no more DEAD hives from one day to the next, but the chems they do bring in get absorbed into the wax, and after a bit of time, those chems begin to create a BAD situation..  I TRY to rotate my combs every three years, some I do not manage until they are 5 years old..  doing so seems to be keeping the vacant hives at bay. My bees still thrive and survive the winters...
   I think the greatest threat now, is the private gardens and flower beds..  they still get sprayed. You will find hundreds of dead bees, but the death rate usually tapers off and it does not kill the entire hive like a good old spraying of DDT used to do.  However,  that nasty stuff is still being absorbed into the wax....  add in the Coumophos, fluvalinate, or whatever you are treating mites with, and mix them all together.......
   Of course, I have been using OAV for quite some time so dont have as much to worry about...

[mikecva]

Point your hives away from the fields, if possible. I you have a tree line or a fence right befind your hives, that will get the bees started in the direction you want.  -Mike

[indypartridge]

Have you talked to the farmer about what pesticides/herbicides/fungicides are used? I don't know anything about Milo, but in the fields near me, they rotate between corn & soybeans and don't spray insecticides (they do use treated seeds).

[D Coates]

It doesn't matter.  I'm 40 yards and a tree line from hundreds/thousands acres of corn and soybeans.  I've learned it's not something to worry about and my hives have had no recognizable/repeatable adverse effects from being located next to them.

[craneman54]

OldMech--I don't know what is being sprayed from crop dusters now, but they are at it like crazy right now. Plane flying over head  dusting fields any time the weather is good enough to dust. I haven't seen the field by my property get dusted yet. Might be spraying pesticides or herbicides I don't no which.

[craneman54]

Sorry for not responding quickly. My son came in today and we have been busy.

I realized today that at this time of year winds usually blow from the west. This would push anything they spray away form me and my hives.

The field is leased from my neighbor. I will ask him to have the farmer contact me so I can talk to him. I will find out what he is using and see if he is willing to let me know when he is going to spray so I can close up my hives for a couple of days when he sprays.

Thanks for the help. I do appreciate it.

[OldMech]

planes are usually spraying herbacides for broadleaf etc, sometimes they also "spray" cover crops.  I honestly dont know any farmers that still spray pesticides..  Gardeners on the other hand.. can kill your bees quickly.

[craneman54]

The closest garden around my hives(When I catch some swarms) would be about 500 yards.