Great idea, but I don’t know if I could count that high without losing track! đ As Honeybees Die Off, First Inventory of Wild Bees Is Under Way | Nat Geo Food.
Ontario’s neonic restrictions will destroy the province?
I was just reading an article in the Kingston Whig Standard about beekeepers and Ontario’s proposed restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Beeks are happy and hopeful, but the corn and soybean industry is in a frothing panic. According to a Conference Board of Canada report, paid for by the Grain Farmers of Ontario and industry group CropLife Canada, …
Pesticide linked to bee deaths to be restricted in Ontario – The Globe and Mail
Hit off the Globe & Mail’ presses comes word that Ontario is planning to do something about the rampany overuse of neonicotinoid pesticides: http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/pesticide-linked-to-bee-deaths-to-be-restricted-in-ontario/article19480431/?service=mobile It’s not a ban, but it’s a step in the right direction. Hopefully, whatever kind of permit scheme they come up with will make a difference.
Australian wholesaler stung with $30,000 fine for fake honey
An Australian supplier of Mediterranean and Turkish food products has been stung with a $30,600 fine for misrepresenting its âVictoria Honeyâ product, which is neither derived from bees nor made in Victoria. The ACCC found Melbourne-based distributor Basfoods to have made misrepresentations on its product labelling and its website that suggested its âVictoria Honeyâ was produced by honey bees, when …
This just in: pesticides are good for honeybees!
I’ll just let that sink in for a moment. That’s right: everything that we think we know about honeybees and pesticides are wrong. Believe it. No, I haven’t lost my mind. A journalist tried to feed me that line this morning. Bear with me, it will take a minute to explain. I was perusing the Beekeepers of Eastern Ontario and Western …
Bee Heroic, Canada!
I just came across this illustration on Twitter. It’s time for everyone to stand up and let your voices be heard. Much to the obvious chagrin of the pesticide companies, not only are neonicotinoid pesticides killing bees by the millions, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health has strengthened the link between exposure to two widely used neonicotinoids …
Cub Scouts and Beekeeping
Cub Scouts have two “Specialty” badges: Individual and Pack. What that means is the requirements aren’t set out by Scouts Canada. The individual specialty is a badge designed by the Cub. They figure out a topic, set some requirements, have the leaders approve it then go to work. Pack specialty is designed by the leaders for the whole Pack. Greg …
One-time compensation for hive losses coming to Ontario
There’s word from the Ontario Beekeeper’s Association this morning that the next Ontario budget will include provisions for a one-time compensation payment to beekeepers suffering large losses in 2014. It’s $105 per hive and available to beekeepers with 10 or more hives who have lost more than 40% of their hives between January 1 and October 31, 2014. It won’t …
Follow the Honey: 7 ways pesticide companies are spinning the bee crisis to protect profits
Depending on how you view things, the pesticide giants are either straight from the 7th circle of hell or they’re simply poor multinational corporations trying to do a vital job who caught by the law of unintended consequences. I tend to view things in more shades of grey. I think that their behaviour around the revelations of problems with their products …
Using bees to apply pesticides? Unfortunately yes.
I had hoped that this article was a spoof when I saw it linked on Google+ this morning, but it’s all too real: While bees pollinate crops, Canadian researchers have found they can also be used to control pest insects and manage disease by dropping off pest control agents while they work. âWe thought we can give added value to …