Spraying stone fruit trees

We need to spray our fruit trees. Has anyone done this or know what impact Lime Suphur has on the bees?

Do you have hives within close proximity to where you will be spraying?

Lime sulphur is nasty stuff, basically kills all in its path. What are you trying to control?

Based on what i discovered reading through some beekeeping literature, ‘lime sulphur’ has indicated toxicity to bees.

In saying this, it is a contact spray and not a systemic product so depending on the time of application (at ‘budswell’, prior to flowering and bees working the trees) and ensuring care is taken, there should be minimak risk of exposure to the bees.

As said previous asked, what are you applying lime sulphur to treat?


Lime sulphur is used as a winter cleanup spray and is best not sprayed at buds well. It really is not so nasty if used properly. Used this way should pose no problems for the bees. What you are controlling is the various fungal diseases which germinate and attack fruit and leaves as the buds are opening.Might be better to spray a straight sulphur spray at bud swell (just showing pink) and then after the petals have dropped.