Source: bees.chrisinch.com

There are about 80,000 bee hives in Ontario, operated by some 250 professional beekeepers and another 4,000 hobby beekeepers. In 2012, over 6 per cent of bee colony populations were lost, and beekeepers and environmentalists are now calling for a ban on neonicotinoids, much like the one just introduced in Europe.

The Ontario Beekeepers' Association, Sierra Club Canada and the Green Party are pushing for a federal ban. "It's like a game of roulette now ...nothing stops the bees from being in contact with the pesticides," says association spokesperson Tibor Szabo. Corn farmers will have a different view.

A bee health working group is being formed by the Ontario gorvernment to make recommendations on how to mitigate the potential risk of a certain pesticide to honey bees. The group will comprise beekeepers, farmers, people in agri-business and scientists as well as staff from federal and provincial agencies