A local beekeeper is hoping to muster enough support to persuade the province to impose a moratorium on crop pesticides known as neonicotinoids, which bee keepers believe are killing their colonies.
Jim Coneybeare, owner and operator of Coneybeare Honey just north of Fergus, said there has been little movement to place a moratorium on the use of corn and soybean pesticides known as neonicotinoid (neonics).
The seeds are treated with the pesticide and neonics are dispersed during planting and through the leaves and pollen of the plant. According to beekeepers, the pesticide is picked up by bees and leaves them unable to find their way back to the hive.
Coneybeare, a past vice president of the Ontario Beekeepers Association and past president of the Wellington County Beekeepers Association, said the insecticide acts like a “neuro-toxin.”
A certain sign, according to what he has experienced with his own bee population, is when honeybees are unable to fly and are found crawling around a site.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne established a task force of experts to look into the issue and report back to the provincial government with its finding. Coneybeare is a member of the task force, which consists of farm organizations, experts from the University of Guelph, scientists, beekeepers, representatives for the companies producing the insecticides, and representatives with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture.
Coneybeare acknowledged a motion considered last week by the 30-member task force to request a moratorium on pesticide use received only three votes in favour.
“It was a vote we couldn’t win,” he said.
University of Guelph bee parasite specialist professor Ernesto Gutzman said the intent of the task force is to explore all potential reasons for bees dying off in large numbers. Guzman said the task force is also looking at mites and parasites contributing to bee colony declines.
“It can’t be attributed exclusively to pesticides,” he said, although a 2012 Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) study of dead bees found about 70 per cent contained neonics.
Pesticides contributing to bee deaths occur in the spring and summer while winter bee deaths are more often attributed to parasites and mites.
“There are several factors that contribute to mortality,” Gutzman said. “It’s highly likely those cases (spring and summer die-off) are more linked to poisoning by pesticides. Toxicology is not my area of expertise, but I find the evidence generated by Health Canada credible.”
Coneybeare said studies such as the Health Canada study done last year should result in a ban.
“They recognize neonics is a problem, so the cat is out of the bag,” he said. The beekeeper contends the pesticide is also finding its way into water sources and presents a threat to the environment.
The PMRA recently issued a notice of intent to protect Canadian bee populations, according to its website.
“We are working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provincial governments, growers, beekeepers and the pesticide industry to determine if other options exist that would protect the environment while allowing the continued use of these seed treatments for corn and soybean,” states the agency in a News release to media posted on Sept. 13.
For the 2014 planting season, the agency intends to implement protective measures for corn and soybean production, requiring:
– the use of safer dust-reducing seed flow lubricants;
– adherence to safer seed planting practices;
– new pesticides use package labels with enhanced warnings; and
– updated value information be provided to support the continued need for neonicotinoid treatment on up to 100 per cent of the corn seed and 50% of the soybean seed.
The agency is calling for public input on its proposals on pesticide use and its impact on bees. The deadline for comment is Dec. 12. The agency can be reached on the web at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/part/consultations/_noi2013-01/index-eng.php. It is not clear when the task force will send a report to the provincial government.
For Coneybeare, obtaining a moratorium might just be a matter of lobbying politicians, but he said it won’t involve the millions of dollars spent by the chemical companies on lobbying.
