What to do if you suspect your honey bee colonies are harmed by pesticides
March 13, 2025 Meghan Milbrath, Ana Heck
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EmailIf you suspect that your honey bee colonies have been harmed by pesticides, it is important to quickly report the incident. Make sure that you have reason to suspect that your colony loss was indeed linked to pesticides, like the presence of exceptional numbers of dead bees in front of the hives. Other colony threats such as viruses can cause dramatic losses. If you aren't sure if the type of death is pesticide-related, you can contact Michigan State University Extension.
Step 1: Take photos and videos of the hives and of dead or dying bees. Don't manipulate the hive or take any other action until an inspector has visited and collected information. You will need the samples to be officially collected.
Step 2: Contact Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). Bee kills can be reported through MDARD's pesticide complaint online form. MDARD can also be reached by phone at 1-800-292-3939, by email at MDA-Info@Michigan.gov. Pesticide complaints are handled by the Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division.
Explain that you suspect pesticide misuse and tell MDARD, "I would like to register a pesticide complaint". It is important to be specific about the incident. For example, let them know why you suspect you have a bee kill from pesticides or if your neighbor sprayed pesticides and they drifted into your yard. Your information will be passed to someone in the Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division. They should return your call within 1-2 business days. They will ask more questions of you, fill out a report, and give you a case number. The specialist will gather information about your complaint: your name, address and contact information, the name address and contact information of the person or company you believe is responsible for the pesticide use, and a brief description of the complaint (what occurred, what you observed, and any information you have already learned from conversations you had with the applicator, if any). A request for investigation will be assigned to an inspector in the region of the state where the incident occurred.
MDARD pesticide inspectors strive to respond to complaints within 1-2 business days to gather additional information. If a site visit is warranted, they will make arrangements; they will also collect official samples.
Pesticide inspectors may not have a lot of experience with honey bees. It may be necessary for the beekeeper to be present during an investigation, especially if hives need to be opened to collect samples or to make observations related to brood loss.
The investigator will follow the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Guidance for Inspecting Alleged Cases of Pesticide-Related Bee Incidents, and it is a good idea to look over the guidance to know what they will need to do. The MDARD investigator may swab the top of the hives and will likely take a sample of dying bees, so make sure that you don't take any action that will prevent them from taking samples. The investigator may also go out to a nearby orchard/field to take samples and get spray records from the growers. MDARD will then test the samples and use all of the information to determine if they can show that your honey bee loss was due to a misuse of pesticides.
North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Sciences and the National Pesticide Safety Education Center created videos on bee kill investigations by pesticide applicators and Managing Hive Pests through Pesticide Use.
The U.S. EPA held a two-day online training on investing suspected pesticide related bee kill complaints, and the recordings are available online: Investigating Suspected Pesticide Related Bee Kill Complaints, Day 1 a and Investigating Suspected Pesticide Related Bee Kill Complaints, Day 2.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Will I get any money if I lose my colonies?
Michigan does not have any funding or legislation to compensate beekeepers for colonies lost to pesticides. MDARD can only indicate if a pesticide label violation has occurred. You can request this information via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which can be used in a civil case. You may also be able to work out an arrangement directly with the grower to compensate you for your losses.
2) How long will the process take?
MDARD will have to collect a lot of information, and this process takes a while. For example, growers have 30 days to record pesticide applications. If a violation is found, MDARD will begin the enforcement process. Your case will be one of many cases that the office investigates, and it may take up to 120 days to complete the investigation.
3) Is it important for me to call right away?
Keep in mind that pesticides can break down quickly. If you do not begin the investigation immediately, your samples may be negative for certain pesticides, even if a spray incident had occurred in the past. It is important for the samples to be fresh. The key to detecting certain pesticides is for MDARD to preserve a good sample.
4) Do I need to also contact the U.S. EPA?
No, MDARD has an agreement with the U.S. EPA and will provide all the information from the case to the U.S. EPA.
5) Do I need to contact the state apiarist?
No, in Michigan, the state apiarist and pesticide division are in the same agency, so they will be in communication. If needed, the pesticide staff will contact the state apiarist for assistance, but pesticide inspectors are trained to do a pesticide misuse investigation.
6) If I don't get compensation, why should I report a bee kill?
It is important for regulators, researchers, and beekeepers to know how widespread pesticide-related issues are in the state and what can be done to reduce them. If bee kills are not reported, it is hard to get funding for programs to reduce pesticide exposure to bees or to show that pesticides are a problem.
7) Can I call MDARD to test samples even if I don't suspect a violation of the label?
No, MDARD's enforcement is conducted to address violations of law and violations of pesticide labels. If you would like to have hive products tested, you can use a laboratory service. Beekeepers can submit their own samples to diagnostic labs and services for beekeepers, which are also listed on the Apiary Inspectors of America's list of honey bee diagnostic labs.
8) Can I report a pesticide bee kill directly to the U.S. EPA?
Yes, beekeepers can report suspected pesticide report bee kills to the U.S. EPA through the Ecological Pesticide Incident Reporting portal by emailing U.S. EPA at beekill@epa.gov. Beekeepers should note that a pesticide kill investigation conducted by a state lead agency such as MDARD may carry more weight than a an incident reported by a beekeeper.
9) Is there guidance on how to protect bees from pesticides?
Michigan’s Pollinator Protection Plan is intended to improve and protect the health of pollinators in Michigan while simultaneously protecting crops, property, and human health. The Michigan Pollinator Protection Plan is led by Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Michigan State University has implemented many of the strategies in the plan to compile resources for growers and develop pollinator stewardship resources.
Michigan State University offers free, online courses that provide information on pollinator health:
- Pollinator Champions is an online course for the public to learn about pollinators in Michigan and how to help them.
- Pollinator Protection for Pesticide Applicators is an online course for pesticide applicators who work in crop protection to learn how they can support bees and other pollinators.
- Pollinator Protection for Land Managers is an online course for landscapers and land managers to learn how they can support bees and other pollinators.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for securing funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Michigan State University to implement strategies in the Michigan Managed Pollinator Protection Plan.
This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program [grant no 2021-70006-35450 and 2024-70006-43569] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Crop Protection and Pest Management Program through the North Central IPM Center (2018-70006-28883 and 2022-70006-38001).
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
