Cotton Australia’s Policy Officer (Stewardship) Doug McCollum has told a key gathering of around 100 beekeepers in Victoria that technology is helping to protect bees from insecticide spray.

Doug told the annual conference of the Crop Pollination Association of Australia that encouraging closer collaboration between the cotton and beekeeping industries is one way of bridging any gaps in awareness and understanding.

Cotton production can pose a risk to nearby bee hives, particularly as both activities often occur in the same regions and at the same time of year, however Doug told the gathering that insecticide use has reduced significantly over the past two decades.

“Growers still occasionally need to control pests and while mirids remain the most significant pest in cotton, unfortunately all products used to manage them can also pose a risk to bees.”

The most effective way to protect bees is to relocate hives when insecticide spraying is necessary. Growers typically have several days' notice before a spray, which creates an opportunity to alert beekeepers with hives nearby.

But Doug admitted this relies on knowing where the hives are, highlighting the importance of establishing communication channels between beekeepers and cotton growers. 

“Technology is helping bridge this gap. The BeeConnected app, for example, allows hive locations to be shared with farmers and spray contractors. Improvements to privacy protections have helped increase its uptake.”

Hives can also be logged on Satacrop, and there was strong interest from conference delegates in using this platform around cotton farms. 

“Beekeepers are also adapting to the presence of Varroa mite and spoke about the importance of integrated pest management and sustainable practices. It was clear they face similar challenges to cotton growers, and by strengthening ties between our industries, we can support each other to grow and succeed,” Doug said.