Pollinator-Friendly Farm Chemical Management

We depend on honey bees and other insect pollinators for our fresh fruit and vegetable production. One of every three bites of food rely on insect pollinators. By using pollinator-friendly management practices, growers help beekeepers and support a healthy population of insect pollinators.

 

This spring, beekeepers in Ontario and Quebec experienced catastrophic colony losses associated with the application of chemicals: herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. A Quebec beekeeper lost 260 hives when an herbicide mix was sprayed on his neighbour’s field on a windy day.

 

Most seed treatments and crop applications can kill bees. Insect pollinators can also be exposed to chemicals by flying in or near sprayed or planted areas. Pollinators are exposed to these chemicals when foragers consume contaminated nectar, pollen or water, bringing the contaminated feed home, which can also damage the queen, brood and younger workers in the hive. Beekeepers may experience a sudden bee kill but may also, on a daily basis, observe numbers of dead and dying bees at the entrance of the hive.

Video: Benefits Uses and Recipes for Fermented Foods

Fermentation has been used for thousands of years, long before refrigeration existed. Today, especially in a time of rising food costs, consumers are looking for ways to save money and prevent waste through extending the life of their food purchases. Fermented foods also offer more ways to improve gut health, support local food production, and promote increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.