Oftentimes, when it comes to colony collapse disorder, people passionately blame Monsanto and gmos for bee deaths, but I’d like to make a distinction- it’s actually the neonicitinoids (neonics) found on these genetically seeds that are killing the bees. Last week, a story about GMO corn killing millions of bees in Canada went viral. Only one small oversight, the title was misleading and the event was two years old. Thanks in part to the Internet, misinformation runs rampant. So what is the current bee situation in Canada?
Neonics are a nicotine-based systemic pesticides, which means these poisons made by Bayer Crop Science and Syngenta, are either embedded into the seed or entrenched in the soil. The plant absorbs the poisons until they become an integral part of the plants’ tissue, which the bees pollinate and we then eat. Washing your fruits and vegetables in this scenario doesn’t really help.
Ding Dong. These poisons are slowly killing us in sub-lethal doses. Now, I am not defending companies like Monsanto, but if we are going to unite in numbers to take the man down, we need to know our stuff. We can’t just make Monsanto the scape goat or else we all lose credibility.
Do you accept that Big Ag is making profits at our expense? We get sicker and then other pharma division of the very same companies sell us drugs to make us feel better.
If you want to learn more the actual details behind gmo corn and the millions of bees that were lost, I invite you to check out my story Did GMO Corn Really Kill All Those Bees in Canada?, which appeared in Truthout on November 15, 2014.
These vital insects pollinate one in every three bites of the food eat and the has been disappearing for the past eight years. How can several different countries independently, the same without someone taking them seriously.
Chemical that’s been shown to be deadly to insects be completely safe for humans
Here beekeeper Dave Schuit talk about about the bee problem and neonics in Canada and his dwindling hives in Elmwood, Ontario. This father of seven is not only losing his bees but his livelihood:
Fortunately today there are enough independent tests that show did these neonics are associated with bee losses. And yet they are still allowed on the market in Canada and in the United States. Supposedly, the governments still have to ‘assess’ things and gather more evidence but I believe they are just buying time.
Honeybees pollinate one in every three bites of the food we eat. They are crucial to our existence and future and they have been continuously dying for the past eight years.
Aside from the systemic poisons, scientists have identified a total of 150 different types of chemicals in beehives.
Is it time to rethink our buying habits? Vote with your fork and be the change that you want to see in the world. We can do it!
Maryam Henein is an investigative journalist, professional researcher, and producer of the award-winning documentary Vanishing of the Bees.
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