Boortmalt has launched a new app for mobile phones, BEE SAFE. The app will allow beekeepers to geolocate their hives and for farmers to see if bee hives are located nearby. This then allows farmers to notify local beekeepers when they are going to apply certain plant protection products to their crops. For example, when an insecticide is being applied.

The notification allows beekeepers to take precautions to safe guard their bees. For example, they might temporarily close their hives while the product is being applied.

Speaking about the app Tom Bryan, Boortmalt’s regional agronomy manager for the UK and Ireland, stated: “Bees play a vital role in pollinating crops, contributing to food security, and biodiversity. Recognising the critical importance of protecting bee populations, Boortmalt developed the BEE SAFE app to enable beekeepers and farmers share information. By sharing information and promoting collaboration, we can contribute to the preservation of these vital pollinators and ensure the sustainability of our food systems”.

Chairperson of the Kildare Bee Keepers Association, Louis Bolger commented: “Bees are part of the biodiversity on which we all depend for our survival. However, bee populations have been declining globally over recent decades due to several factors including the use of pesticides. I welcome the BEE SAFE app which will make a real difference to the preservation of these vital pollinators. I would like to thank Boortmalt for launching this initiative and call on other agri-bodies to follow Boortmalt’s lead and play their part in protecting all pollinators and their habitats”.

The company says that app is part of Boortmalt’s overall sustainability plan to ensure local supply chains are environmentally sound.