Neonics have become one of those issues that creates deep divides.
Are neonicotinoid pesticides silently poisoning our world, with bees serving as the canaries in a toxic coal mine?
Or is the whole thing just the latest cause célèbre promoted by radical environmentalists who have a hate on for “industrial” farming?
The already rancorous debate has been further inflamed by Ontario’s decision to reduce acreage planted with neonic-treated seeds by 80 per cent by 2017.
In the wake of that move, reporter Alexis Kienlen put the issue to two experts — a leading bee scientist and an Alberta beekeeper who has been part of an initiative to use better hive management to reduce bee deaths.
Her interviews at the links provided below have been edited and condensed.
