California Code of Regulations › Title 3 - Food and Agriculture › Division 6 - Pesticides and Pest Control Operations › Chapter 4 - Environmental Protection › Subchapter 6 - Pollinator Protection › Article 1 - Protection of Bees › Section 6984 - Citrus/Bee Protection Area

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
(a) The
					 provisions of this section apply to a citrus/bee protection area during the
					 March 15 through May 31 time period. A citrus/bee protection area means the
					 area within one mile of any citrus planting of one acre or more within Fresno,
					 Kern, or Tulare counties.
(b) The
					 citrus bloom period, in any citrus grove, for purposes of declaring bloom,
					 shall be from when 10 percent of the total citrus blossoms are open until 75
					 percent of the blossom petals on the north side of the trees have fallen.
The commissioner shall give public notice of the official
						beginning and ending dates of each citrus bloom period for each citrus growing
						district in the county, at least three days before establishing such
						dates.
(c) Pesticide
					 applications of products labeled toxic to bees may be made 48 hours or more
					 after the official end of citrus bloom without advance notification to apiary
					 operators, or their designated representatives, until March 15 of the following
					 year. Growers/pesticide applicators wishing to make pesticide applications
					 prior to 48 hours after the official end of bloom shall follow the inquiry and
					 notification procedures specified in section
					 6983.
(d) Each person who owns or operates any
					 apiary shall file a written notice of apiary location with the commissioner
					 before March 15 and shall update such notice within 72 hours for any apiary
					 location changes, including notice of departure from the county.
(e) Each apiary operator, or their designated
					 representative, who desires advance notification of pesticide applications of
					 products labeled toxic to bees that will be performed from March 15 through May
					 31, shall inform the commissioner as specified in section
					 6982.
(f) Any person intending to apply a pesticide
					 labeled toxic to bees, as defined in subsection
					 6980(a), to citrus
					 during a citrus bloom period, except as otherwise provided in this subsection,
					 shall file a notice of intent with the commissioner as provided in section
					 6434(b) at least
					 48 hours prior to the intended application. This subsection shall not apply to
					 pesticides listed in subsection
					 6984(g) applied
					 when bees are inactive.
(g)
					 Notwithstanding section
					 6983(b), the
					 following pesticide applications may be made during the citrus bloom period
					 when bees are inactive, as defined in subsection
					 6980(b), without
					 notification to apiary operators, or their designated representatives:
(1) Any pesticide that does not include the
					 words "toxic to bees" on the product labeling;
(2) Any pesticide applied so that the time
					 period of the Residual Toxicity specified on the product labeling will expire
					 before the next period of bee activity; or
(3) Any pesticide that includes the words
					 "toxic to bees" on the product labeling, if the labeling allows applications
					 when bees are inactive.