EPA approves insecticide for bee parasite

The Environmental Protection Agency has given beekeepers in North Dakota the go ahead to use a pesticide to control a bee parasite. According to Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, the EPA has approved the use of the pesticide HopguardTM.

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved my request for a Section 18 emergency exemption for Hopguard," Goehring said. "Varroa mites are the most serious pest problem facing beekeepers. If uncontrolled, they cause deep and widespread losses in bee colonies."

According to the Department of Agriculture, Hopguard strips can be applied at a rate of one strip per five deep combs. The strips must be placed only in brood chambers or into packages of adult worker bees prior to installation in a honey bee colony. A maximum of three applications per year is allowed.

Applicators must follow directions, keep a copy of the directions with them and wear protective gloves during applications.

The department adds that no honey can be harvested from the brood chamber. Users may only harvest honey from the honey supers. A honey super is a part of a commercial beehive that is used to collect honey.