Honey bees are the number one insect pollinator on the planet. They are responsible for the production of over 90 crops. Apples, berries, cucumbers, nuts, cabbages and even cotton will struggle to be produced if bee colonies continue to decline at the current rate. Empty hives have been reported from as far afield as Taipei and Tennessee. In England, the matter has caused beekeepers to march on Parliament to call on the government to fund research into what they say is potentially a bigger threat to humanity than the current financial crisis.
Ten days ago, a large Bumblebee die-off was reported in Wilsonville, Oregon. Now, millions of bees are dying following the plantation of corn fields in the Elmwood area, Ontario, Canada. They believe this dying is related to the corn! Is it transgenic? Are the used insecticides (neonicotinoids) too toxic for bees? In Europe, these types of insectisides will be banned for the next two years to study their relations to large bee die-off they also experiencing over there.
Scientific information gathered suggests that the planting of corn seeds treated with neonicotinoids contributed to the majority of the bee mortalities that occurred in corn growing regions of Ontario and Quebec in Spring 2012. Scientists showed that the neonicotinoid pesticides are coating corn seed and with the use of new air seeders, are blowing the pesticide dust into the air when planted. Bees then develop neurotoxic symptoms, probably related to thiamethoxam/clothianidin a main component of seed treatments of field crops (primarily corn). (The Post Ontario)
Bees are dying in their millions. It is an ecological crisis that threatens to bring global agriculture to a standstill. This documentary explores the reasons behind the decline of bee colonies across the globe, investigating what might be at the root of this devastation.
