 Hello, my name is Jan Knodl, I'm the Extension Entomologist for North Dakota State University. This video is about bee safety and protecting honey bees from pesticide poisoning. Honey bees and native pollinators are a vital part of agriculture food production and should be protected from pesticide poisoning. The value of bee pollination is estimated at $14.6 billion in the United States. With a reduction in the number of domestic and wild bee colonies due to colony collapse disorder and other diseases, the value of honey bees and native bees for pollination has increased. This increases the importance of protecting bees from pesticide poisoning. Bees are attracted to blooming field crops such as sunflowers and even weeds such as dandelions in the field for nectar and or pollen. Because bees forage for up to two and a half miles or more from the hive, all beekeepers within two to three miles of the area to be treated with insecticide should be notified several days before the insecticide is to be applied. In North Dakota, the names of beekeepers can be attained by going to the North Dakota Department of Agriculture's website. Bee pesticide hazards can be reduced by following these guidelines. Know and communicate with beekeepers about hive locations. Use economic threshold and other integrated pest management strategies. Economic thresholds ensure that pesticides are used only when crop losses prevented by pesticide use are greater than the cost of the pesticide and the application. Use pesticides with low toxicity and low residual two bees, for example avoid using dust or wettable powder insecticide formulations because they generally are more toxic two bees. Evening or early morning applications are the least harmful two bees because fewer bees are foraging. Do not spray when winds can cause pesticide drift. Use all pesticides in a manner consistent with the label directions. The environmental hazard section of the label may include specific restrictions that protect bees. Words that describe pesticide restrictions are while actively visiting or foraging in a field and visiting or flying through a field. Typically bees are actively foraging when there is day light and temperatures are above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Thank you for learning about how to protect pollinators from pesticide poisoning.