Bees have been dying in alarming numbers and in various parts of the world where neonicotinoids are sprayed. Other insects are being affected too and one has to wonder what the long term impact will be to humans and the environment.
It would appear that we have known that pesticides have been killing millions or more bees and that neonicotinoid pesticides are responsible. As such, the Ontario government has recently decided to reduce the amount of this pesticide by 80% and no later than 2017……but we have to ask, is this action too little to late?
The following article by Collective Evolution goes into more detail:
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Neonicotinoid insecticides persist in very high levels in planter exhaust material produced during the planting of crops treated with these insecticides. This runs contrary to industry claims that the chemicals biodegrade and are not a threat, they lied. These pesticide components are found in soil, they are also found in fields where the chemicals are not even sprayed. Bees also actively transfer contaminated pollen from primarily pesticide treated corn crops and bring it back to their hives. Furthermore, bees transfer these pesticides to other plants and crops that are not treated with the chemicals, which goes to show just how persistent these chemicals truly are in the environment.
As CBC news reports:
“The Ontario government has moved to limit the use of neonicotinoid pesticides amid growing evidence that the substances are responsible for drastic reductions in bee populations in the province. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs laid out a three-point initiative Tuesday that it says will ensure “healthy ecosystems” and a “productive agricultural sector” while reversing the downward trend of pollinator numbers.” (source)
Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller recently made an appearance on the Canadian Broadcast Corporation news network stating that:
“The science is very clear. It is absolutely linked to the problems with bees, the death of bees, but also the sub-lethal effects on bees, such as disorientation, which leads to colony failure. The new information that is before us and very alarming is that the impact on the ecosystem is much greater and much broader. The bees are the canary in the coalmine.” (source)
The federal government is currently in the process of studying the effects of three of the pesticides on bee colonies in agricultural areas. The study is currently underway and has not been completed, but environmental groups across Ontario are urging the government to act before the study is completed.
Read Full Article: HERE
Niamh Harris
I remember there was a employee for the water safety from groundwater, he imposed to ban pesticides around water collecting areas, to safety concerns and reductions of costs to clean the water. Shortly after they fired him. The insects are reduced a lot the bees and other useful insects for pollination get less and less. Birds will vanish soon after. The insects in the past where on windshields a lot nowdays is nearly nothing anymore. Also if you have cherry trees you notice when they bloom they are less bees around. The pesticides are allowed thru corrupted politicians and fraudulent institutes who teach in agrar technology nothing about a living soil. The pesticides destroy longterm. Harmless fertilizer made from nettles in France was even banned for a short time in favour for pesticides.