Dave Schuit, a beekeeper in Ontario, Canada, has lost everything because a nearby farm planted some corn.



“And then when they started planting corn, my bees started dying by the millions,” Schuit told CTV’s Canada AM Friday (July 5, 2013). Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/...

I can't share the video on this site. They block sharing. Please go to the site and watch the entire interview. It's heartbreaking. More on that in a bit.

Other beekeepers in Ontario are experiencing similar difficulties.



Local grower Nathan Carey from the Neustadt, and National Farmers Union Local 344 member, says he noticed this spring the lack of bees and bumblebees on his farm. He believes that there is a strong connection between the insecticide use and the death of pollinators. "Bees dying by the millions" by John Radojkovic, The Post, Ontario, Canada June 19, 2013



Last year, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency took samples from dead bees in Ontario and Quebec and found clothianidin, a type of neonicotinoid, in 70 per cent of the Ontario samples. The agency is currently re-evaluating the status of three pesticides in the neonicotinoid class to determine if they pose an environmental risk to bees. But Schuit and many other beekeepers want to see a complete ban now. Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/...

The bees are dying faster than the queen can lay. I used to keep a queen alive for several years, now I can only keep her alive one year.

Unlike the seeds that Monsanto sells , this pesticide is something you actually spray on the crops. This might explain the very quick demise of Mr. Schuit's bee population. There is more than enough conclusive evidence that this is a smoking gun in the fight against these types of chemicals.It's not just the drones that are dying. It's the queens.His business was thriving before this happened. He was thinking about expansion. Now, he and his family now live in the honey house because he had to sell their farm.

Mr. Schuit also points out some very salient facts about bees. Of the foods that need pollination, 80% of it is done by bees. He states that bees can pollinate up to 100,000 plants/flowers a day...for free. Imagine having people do that.

You should watch the entire interview on CTV.

Here is a list of foods that are pollinated by bees.

Okra

Kiwifruit

Bucket orchid

Onion

Cashew

Atemoya, Cherimoya, Custard apple

Celery

Strawberry tree

American Pawpaw

Carambola, Starfruit

Brazil nut

Beet

Mustard

Rapeseed

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Cabbage

Brussels sprouts

Chinese cabbage

Turnip, Canola

Pigeon pea, Cajan pea, Congo bean

Jack bean, Horse bean, Sword bean

Chilli pepper, Red pepper, Bell pepper, Green pepper

Papaya

Safflower

Caraway

Chestnut

Star apple, Cainito

Watermelon

Tangerine

Tangelo

Coconut

Coffea spp. Coffea arabica, Coffea canephora

Cola nut

Coriander

Crownvetch

Hazelnut

Azarole

Cantaloupe, Melon

Cucumber

Squash (plant), Pumpkin, Gourd, Marrow, Zuchini

Guar bean, Goa bean

Quince

Lemon

Lime

Carrot

Hyacinth bean

Longan

Persimmon

Durian

Oil palm

Cardamom

Loquat

Buckwheat

Feijoa

Fig

Fennel

Strawberry

Stanhopea

Cotton

Sunflower

Walnut

Flax

Lychee

Lupine

Macadamia

Acerola

Apple

Mammee apple

Mango

Sapodilla

Alfalfa

Rambutan Source: Wikipedia

In closing, I would suggest you think about penning an e-mail not to the President, but to groups that financed his campaign and the campaigns of other Democrats.

It should read as follows:

"Due to the continuing inaction on this issue of banning neonicotinoids, I will have to reconsider donating to your organization." Include some of the links in this diary.

I won't cut them off yet. I will give them a little time to respond (2 months, all the while continuing my e-mail messages weekly). You can do as you like, if you donate to these groups.

Remember, money talks.

Here are some e-mail addresses for you:

info@barackobama.com

dccc@dccc.org

democraticparty@democrats.org

info@actblue.com

dscc@dscc.org

Update: There is a correction I need to make. As kjallen pointed out, "I thought it was just that they were spraying the poison on the plants, but the scientist in the video says the poison is put inside the plants so the pollen the bees collect contains the poison, too." Please read kjallen's entire post. It's quite good.

Also, thanks for the rec list.