More on Bayer's Bee Tour

More on Bayer’s Bee Tour. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Dick Rogers is the manager of Bayer’s Bee Care Center in North Carolina. They have begun their Bee Care Tour to help educate and gather information. And Rogers talks about protecting the bees.

ROGERS: If we’re talking farmer they can just be aware of locations of hives. They can use products that are safer around bees than other products. They can use careful timing, apply treatments that follow label directions. Plus is they have land available and resources to do this they can also encourage plantings of species of plants that will be beneficial for bees as well for food sources.

He says beekeepers can help by improving monitoring of the hives, utilizing best management practices and staying on top of mite issues.

ROGERS: And then as industry people we can make sure we thoroughly test our products . We can try to get tools and products that beekeepers can use and the general public can help by trying to understand the real facts. They can plant gardens that are beneficial for bees and they can use their home garden products according to the label as well.

Rogers says the bee tour helps to educate the public with interesting facts about bees.

ROGERS: Colonies can grow from a few thousand bees to 60-thousand or more bees in one single colony. Also they are able to fly long distances especially within a four or five kilometer radius of an apiary and visit millions of flowers to produce the honey crop.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.