With spring in full bloom and bees beginning their seasonal work, a local beekeeper is making a heartfelt plea to her community: please stop spraying chemicals that kill pollinators.
Darcee O’Hearn, who keeps hives at the top of McBride Street, says she has witnessed the devastating impact of lawn chemicals on her bees, year after year.
In a message posted to neighbours this month, she described the recurring heartbreak of finding thousands of bees dead within hours of nearby weed spraying.
“This has happened for the past four springs in a row,” she wrote. “I do not want to deal with this heartache again.”
O’Hearn says the pattern is clear: her bees emerge from a long winter and take flight in early spring, only to die en masse shortly after weed control chemicals are applied nearby.
“There is a carpet of dead bees all over my lawn and in front of the hive,” she said.
“The entire colony is dead. People who spray are 100 per cent responsible for this.”
Read more: Bees poisoned
She’s urging all Trail and surrounding residents to explore safer, non-toxic alternatives to manage weeds, noting that weeds are often a symptom of poor soil health rather than a problem in themselves.
“Fix the soil, then you fix your weed problem,” she emphasized.
O’Hearn isn’t just pointing fingers; she’s offering help.
She also offers two simple tips:
1. Remove flowers from your weeds before spraying: if there are no flowers, bees won’t visit them.
2. Delay spraying until dusk, when bees have returned to the hive.
3. Do not water your lawn for two days after spraying.
“This message isn’t meant to blame,” she emphasized. “But even a few chemical treatments in the neighbourhood can have a devastating ripple effect.”
Her message equal parts grave and compassionate, isn’t just about bees.
It’s about preserving the delicate balance of the ecosystem: she stressed this is not only for herself but for the bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other wildlife affected by toxins in the environment.
“With these two simple acts, you will save millions of pollinators each year and in return, our busy bees will provide you with food, your life, and of course, honey,” O'Hearn added.
“All of this is said with love, compassion and desperation.”
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