Ottawa hears concerns about honeybees

TORONTO – On Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) heard from witnesses in the insecticide debate.

Beekeepers in Ontario have reported a higher-than-usual number of bee losses over the past two years. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency tested the dead bees of several beekeepers and found that 70 per cent of them had neonicotinoids (NNIs) present in their system.

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Read: Bayer-funded

Beekeepers believe that long-term use of the insecticides, which contains a group of pesticides, could lead to the eventual collapse of honeybee colonies across the country and even worldwide.

Bees are highly effective pollinators, contributing to 35 per cent of the world’s crop pollination.

Ontario and Quebec beekeepers are calling for a ban on NNIs.