Re: Honeybees and Tansy Ragwort...

> Is Tansy Ragwort known to be bee-toxic? 

I read that all parts of the plant are toxic and yet you say the dead bees
you see are not evenly distributed across the flowers indicating something
else. Maybe you're seeing the end of the line for bees that are suffering
from CCD. Is there a lot of this decline re****ted in your area?

I believe you're right to dig out the Tansy Ragwort. It's good exercise
and
the results will be more satisfactory than laying waste with herbicide
that
will adversely effect the beneficial microbes and worms.

There's one thing you might consider in your attack on Tansy Ragwort.
They are a biennial short-lived perennial as it were, meaning the plant
produces seeds in its second year. A sensible plan would involve removing
first the blooms before they produce seeds. Put on your nitrile gloves
high
quality dust mask and bag up all the blooms, leaving them in the bag until
they could be buried in the compost. Wait for a good rain to soften the
ground then start forking out the plants. Do this for a couple of years
and
they will be gone.

The poison in Tansy Ragwort is a toxic alkaloid. This means it can be
'neutralized' by an acid like vinegar. You could improve the quality of
your
compost by adding vinegar to the pile.

By the way, weeds like you've described are a sure sign of overgrazing.
After you've removed the weeds it would be ideal to let the area rest a
while letting the natural grass become re-established. Where I live that
process would take about 20 years. I **** you not pardner.

-- 
CK