Winnipeg's urban beekeepers concerned mosquito fogging could cause harm

Just as urban beekeeping picksup pace in Winnipeg, the city is set to fog mosquitoes with malathion,a chemicaltoxic to bees.

Apiarists say while the city is taking measures to limit the risk, it's still a concern.

"I think it's pretty clear there's a bit of irony there," Chris Kirouac, co-founder of Bee Project Apiaries, told CBC News.

"They're doing something on one hand that sounds super positive on the whole movement of urban beekeeping, food security and just protecting the pollinators, and then on the other hand they're doing something that's clearly detrimental to [bees]."

City council voted to allow bee hives on the rooftops of downtown buildings in February, bringing Winnipeg in line with most major Canadian cities when it comes to urban beekeeping.

Currently 15 urban hives have been erected at downtown locations, Kirouac said, including on CBC Manitoba's rooftop.

City officials contacted him recently for a list of the hive locations to put them on the no-spray list, he said.

To help minimize the risk tobees, city crews provide buffer zones to registered bee keepers and notify them about planned mosquito fogging programs, a City of Winnipeg spokesperson told CBC in an email.

Crews also fog at night tominimize direct contact with bees as they are in their hives at that time.

"The city has investigated other mosquito control products but there are currently no products on the market that are more friendly to bees," the spokespersonsaid.

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Kirouac commends the move but warns buffer zones don't eliminate the risk malathion poses to bees and other insects. Residual malathion in standing water or on blooming plantscan be harmful.

Buffer zones not fool proof

"The residues, how quickly it breaks down in the environment, where it might collect in water those are the kind of issues that are outside just the actual evening they are fogging," he said.

According to the Alberta government'srecommendationsreduce bee poisoning, thehazard from pesticides varieswith dosage and weather conditions during and after application. It notes residue lasts longer incooler weather.

Kirouacsaid part of the purpose of urban-beekeeping and Bee Project Apiaries is to create awareness and dialogue around protecting bees.

He'd like to see the city use a friendlier alternative to manage mosquitoes in the near future.

Head of insect control, Ken Nawolsky, said Thursday at a news conference thatthe city will use its remaining stock of malathion this summer but will not be purchasing any more of the product.

The city is planning to bring in a new insecticide called Delta Guard by2017, Nawolsky said.

In the meantime,Kirouac suggeststhose with backyard hives cover the hive with a blanket, register for a buffer zone, and replace the hive water after fogging.

"On top of that, it's the fact that bumble bees and so ondon't have someone who's going to cover the hive.We just want people to take the approach that we need to think about what we're doing whenever we apply chemicals."