The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food heard concerns from beekeepers again on Thursday who claim that that neonicotinoids (NNI) are poisoning and killing honey bees in record numbers.
Insecticide companies refute the claims, saying they don’t believe that pesticides are causing long-term effects.
The committee met with the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Ontario Beekeepers Association, the Honey Council of Canada, chemical company Bayer, and CropLife who respresents developers, manufacturers and distributors of pesticides and bio-chemistry products.
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“It’s a neurotoxin,” said David Bryans who, together with his brother John and son Steven, run Munro Honey. “It’s in all our water, in everything the bees eat…affecting the queens, affecting our living.”
Since 2011, there has been increased concern about bee health after many beekeepers in Ontario and Quebec began noticing a sharp rise in bee deaths in the spring. They believe that the NNIs, which are mainly sprayed on corn fields, are leeching into the water and soil.
He is calling for a ban on NNIs. “It makes every part of the plant toxic. Once it gets through your hives, it kills the queen.”
“There’s no escape for the bees,” Tibor Szabo, vice president of the Ontario Beekeepers Association said.
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