Bee Hive Registration
/
Some of the hive locations on BeeWatch’s website. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Bee Hive Registration
One of the challenges as a beekeeper is how to keep bees safe from pesticides. In Missouri, there are 8,000 commercial pesticide applicators and 18,000 private pesticide applicators juggling when to apply products that can kill honey bees.
There is a current tool available that tries to bridge beekeepers and pesticide applicators. BeeCheck, formerly called Field Watch, provides an online application where beekeepers can register their hive locations. The idea is that then pesticide applicators can check the map to determine where hives are located and contact, and otherwise work, around impacting bees.
Beekeepers have the option to restrict who sees their hive locations. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Some Missouri beekeepers have had second thoughts about registering their hives. With the value of bees on the increase as well as hive thefts, some have been reluctant to share their hive locations.
To accommodate that concern, BeeCheck now has two mapping options; one for the public and the second one that is only for pesticide applicators. Restricting the information to just pesticide applicators may increase the map use.
