Report outlines nine recommendations to curb bee colony deaths
By Haydn Watters, CBC News Posted: May 27, 2015 3:25 PM ET Last Updated: May 27, 2015 4:31 PM ET
Related Stories
A two-year study into the death of bee colonies has come up with nine recommendations to improve bee health in Canada.
The report released by the Senate’s agriculture and forestry committee Wednesday, entitled “The Importance of Bee Health to Sustainable Food Production in Canada,” points to a number of “stressors” behind a drop off in bee colonies.
Some of the report’s nine recommendations include:
Allowing bee package imports from foreign countries, like the United States.
Monitoring the status of bee health through the creation of a continuous bee health surveillance project.
Speeding up the creation of a national bee farm-level biosecurity standard in hives.
Increasing funding for research into bee health.
The report outlines the threats faced by bees and the theories as to why bee colonies have been dying off.
Neonicotinoid pesticides are listed as one of the possible harms in the report.
Many bee researchers attribute these pesticides for the large-scale deaths. They are used in coated seeds for the cultivation of more 50 different fruits and vegetables in Canada.
But the pesticide’s possible role in bee deaths has divided farmers, gardeners and scientists. Most agree that neonicotinoid is toxic for bees. However, the industry thinks it’s a stretch to say the pesticide is killing off colonies.
Neonicotinoid has been approved for use in Canada for 10 years.
CBC is not responsible for 3rd party content
Stay Connected with CBC News
Top News Headlines
Latest Politics News Headlines
The House
Are we losing the war against ISIS? May 23, 2015 2:01 PM This week on The House, Evan Solomon talks with the Parliamentary Secretary to Defence Minister James Bezan about Canada’s strategy after recent setbacks in the war against ISIS. Then, the former head of Elections Canada, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, argues that having a fixed election date is turning Canadian politics into a dangerous system of endless campaigns.
Most Viewed
