Dave Schuit, a beekeeper in Ontario, Canada, has lost everything because a nearby farm planted some corn.
“And then when they started planting corn, my bees started dying by the millions,” Schuit told CTV’s Canada AM Friday (July 5, 2013).Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/…
I can’t share the video on this site. They block sharing. Please go to the site and watch the entire interview. It’s heartbreaking. More on that in a bit.
Other beekeepers in Ontario are experiencing similar difficulties.
Local grower Nathan Carey from the Neustadt, and National Farmers Union Local 344 member, says he noticed this spring the lack of bees and bumblebees on his farm. He believes that there is a strong connection between the insecticide use and the death of pollinators.“Bees dying by the millions” by John Radojkovic, The Post, Ontario, Canada June 19, 2013
Unlike the seeds that Monsanto sells, this pesticide is something you actually spray on the crops. This might explain the very quick demise of Mr. Schuit’s bee population. There is more than enough conclusive evidence that this is a smoking gun in the fight against these types of chemicals.
Last year, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency took samples from dead bees in Ontario and Quebec and found clothianidin, a type of neonicotinoid, in 70 per cent of the Ontario samples.The agency is currently re-evaluating the status of three pesticides in the neonicotinoid class to determine if they pose an environmental risk to bees. But Schuit and many other beekeepers want to see a complete ban now.
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/…
It’s not just the drones that are dying. It’s the queens.
The bees are dying faster than the queen can lay. I used to keep a queen alive for several years, now I can only keep her alive one year.
His business was thriving before this happened. He was thinking about expansion. Now, he and his family now live in the honey house because he had to sell their farm.
Mr. Schuit also points out some very salient facts about bees. Of the foods that need pollination, 80% of it is done by bees. He states that bees can pollinate up to 100,000 plants/flowers a day…for free. Imagine having people do that.
You should watch the entire interview on CTV.
Here is a list of foods that are pollinated by bees.
Okra
Kiwifruit
Bucket orchid
Onion
Cashew
Atemoya, Cherimoya, Custard apple
Celery
Strawberry tree
American Pawpaw
Carambola, Starfruit
Brazil nut
Beet
Mustard
Rapeseed
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Brussels sprouts
Chinese cabbage
Turnip, Canola
Pigeon pea, Cajan pea, Congo bean
Jack bean, Horse bean, Sword bean
Chilli pepper, Red pepper, Bell pepper, Green pepper
Papaya
Safflower
Caraway
Chestnut
Star apple, Cainito
Watermelon
Tangerine
Tangelo
Coconut
Coffea spp. Coffea arabica, Coffea canephora
Cola nut
Coriander
Crownvetch
Hazelnut
Azarole
Cantaloupe, Melon
Cucumber
Squash (plant), Pumpkin, Gourd, Marrow, Zuchini
Guar bean, Goa bean
Quince
Lemon
Lime
Carrot
Hyacinth bean
Longan
Persimmon
Durian
Oil palm
Cardamom
Loquat
Buckwheat
Feijoa
Fig
Fennel
Strawberry
Stanhopea
Cotton
Sunflower
Walnut
Flax
Lychee
Lupine
Macadamia
Acerola
Apple
Mammee apple
Mango
Sapodilla
Alfalfa
RambutanSource: Wikipedia