It has been in the 70's (F) here this week. We have removed the portable shelving, original fixed shelving and a couple cabinets from our garage in the process of constructing a new storage plan.
The story here is a two door cabinet where we have stored solvents, fungicides and insecticides (for our fruit trees) for ten years. Some of the containers left (unknown) residues on the shelves and there was a strong chemical smell coming from the cabinet as it set outside my shop. I thought I'd air it out by leaving the doors open.
Bees are flying and going through the bird feeders looking for pollen or something that interests them. They must have found the open cabinet and investigated because there were hundreds of dead bees all around.
I know all bees are susceptible to pesticides, but these bees were briefly exposed to a very small amount of the stuff yet quickly dropped dead. No piles of bees at the entrance of my hives so it must have been fast acting, or bees could have been robers from feral hives.
Some combinations of fungicides and insecticides can make a concoction much more deadly to bees. Was this one of those times? i don't know, but they dropped dead within 2-8 feet of the cabinet.
This educational experience serves as a reminder that a small amount of insecticide can be deadly to our bees. I will be more careful in the future.
