Getting the buzz on neonicotinoids

By Julia Poehlman

 

Beekeepers and farmers are working to find pesticides that will protect crops without killing bees.

Neonicotinoids are a type of pesticide that are chemically related to nicotine. They are used on field crops and nursery plants.

Although this insecticide is used to eliminate pests, it can also be damaging to pollinators, such as bees. They are vulnerable to neonicotinoids when they are subjected to spray, dust from treated seeds and contaminated pollen.

Dan Sinasac has been beekeeping for two years. He said when the pesticide gets into the air, it could harm the insects nearby.

“It becomes airborne, a lot of bees pollinate, there’s mosquitoes in the bushes and maybe butterflies,” said Sinasac.

But farmers like Leslie Badder need to use pesticides on their crops.

“If we went to finger pick-up we wouldn’t have this problem, but if we don’t use it (neonicotinoids) we might as well quit farming,” said Badder.

Finger pick-up planters have upright wheels with fingers on them, which they clasp the seed then spin to the other side and then drop it down, releasing one seed at a time. Air seeders carry larger amounts of seed in a bigger area of land. Once the seed has been planted by the seeder, air blows out of the opening that has been made in the dirt. The air seeder compresses the seeds in order to hold in moisture.

Farmers do not want to see bees destroyed. Badder said researchers are working on a new neonicotinoid seed treatment and avoiding neonicotinoids altogether could be disastrous.

“They are working on a new coating that holds on better, but the biggest problem is the air seeders,” said Badder.

Sinasac said he does not blame farmers for using these pesticides.

“I can understand the farmers, more crop, more quantity,” said Sinasac. “I think farmers can be a little more careful when they put that stuff on them.”

According to the ontario.ca website, almost 100 per cent of corn seed and 60 per cent of soybean seed use neonicotinoids in Ontario.

The Federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency has reported that most of the bees killed in Ontario throughout 2012 and 2013 were caused by neonicotinoids