Insecticides are killing bees, harming pets and your health; Canadian government blissfully ignorant

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Renee Delaney

Neonicotinoids are the most common insecticide in the world. They were invented and quickly popularized in the 1980’s, primarily due to their “systematic” property, meaning they circulate through the whole plant and kill bugs immediately once they ingest any part of the plant. 

However, it’s this very systematic nature that makes neonicotinoids so dangerous for the bee population, as this kind of insecticide can spread to the nectar or pollen of a flowering plant.

Truth? Get ready for it. 

Field studies were carried out over 33 different agricultural sites in various areas of Europe, where each site was randomly assigned to be treated with nicotinoid pesticides or to not be treated at all. The teams evaluated 3 different bee species, including honeybees; results differed between species and location, but the overall findings showed NEGATIVE EFFECTS across all species. 

Honeybee hives were shown to be less likely to survive during the winter, while the wild bees reproduced less. The scientists noted that the pesticides didn’t necessarily kill the bees directly, but rather made them far more vulnerable to environmental or disease related factors when exposed to LOW LEVELS of the pesticides.

So how the heck does this relate to your pets?

Bayer (the company making the insecticide) uses that same insecticide that has been banned throughout the EU in one of their best selling flea and tick products, Advantix. 

Over here in Canada we don’t seem to have any problem selling imidacloprid-containing insecticides to dog and cat owners, even though it has been linked to seizures in anecdotal accounts, and is certainly a neurotoxin which is not exactly “safe” for our animals. 

Please understand: This product is brought to you by the same company that is happy to poison the planet in many ways – namely through this very creation of neonicotinoid pesticides, which coat about 90% of North American corn seeds, and seeds of increasing portions of other major crops like soy. 

Imidacloprid is in the neonicotinoid class of these insecticides. It is included in the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) scientific report, which identified “high acute risks” for bees as they are exposed via dust in several crops such as corn, cereals and sunflowers, to residues in pollen and nectar in crops like oilseed rape (canola) and sunflower. 

These ingredients are in almost every single “boxed” item you buy in a grocery store. 

So now, think about it. You are not only eating this, but financially supporting the very company you would never agree to support had you known. Had you been told. 

Ignorance is not bliss. 

But don’t worry, you’re not on the hook alone. 

Canada has not banned this product, nor made any provisions to limit its use. In fact. They barely talk about it at all. 

Let me repeat this. WE ARE EATING THE SAME FOOD THAT CONTAINS THE SAME POISON THAT IS KILLING THE BEES. 

Bees are a bio indicator. What happens to them, happens to us... 

AND we are financially supporting Bayer. 

And our government is in on it. 

Plus now your cat and/or dog is peeing out these neonicotinoids, all over your yard. 

Oh and by the way. Are you curious if the pee containing this neonicotinoid gets into our water supply? How about the insecticides. Or fertilizers? 

Of course it does. Why do you think we can’t swim in our water any more? 

And are they testing for this in our water supply? 

They are not. Not as it relates to safe drinking. 

And not publicly anyway. 

So what the actual...

But wait. Want to know what’s really insane? 

We could grow our own food VERY easily without this systemic pesticide. 

And we could stop supporting massive monopolies like Bayer by adopting a more natural lifestyle and eating healthier. 

AND, for our pets, we could use dishsoap to bathe our furry friends, or buy borex, (sold in the same place as laundry soap at your grocery store) which easily kills fleas and ticks in your home. 

Is it as easy as a couple drops on your pets neck? 

No but it won’t cause colony collapse disorder or harm your pet. Fleas will be gone for good, and you won’t have harmed the environment and supported a GMO-promoting company in the process.

We can do something about this. 

If we choose to. 

#nowyouknow 

#niagara

Renee Delaney Planting with Purpose 1-844-SOW-SEED (769-7333) https://www.facebook.com/smallscalefarming/ Info@SmallScaleFarms.ca www.smallscalefarms.ca