Populations of Foraging Honey Bees in Midsouth Crops

In recent years there has been a global decline in populations of both native and managed pollinators. Pesticides are considered to serve some role in these declines. A study was conducted to see when and at what densities honey bees, Apis mellifera, forage agronomic crops in the Midsouth. Fields of corn, cotton, and soybeans were visually sampled for foraging honeybees across Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Honey bees were observed at three time intervals and at four distances into each field. Significantly more honey bees were observed in soybeans than in corn and cotton. The mid-day time interval had the significantly most number of honey bees per acre observed. More honey bees were observed in the morning time interval than the evening time interval. Based on these data, insecticide applications should be made in the evenings when honey bees are less active in crop fields. This allows for the most time for the residual activity of insecticides to diminish before foraging honey bee numbers increase in the morning and maximize in the middle of the day.