Neonics, Honey Bees, and Food Security

The document argues that neonicotinoids, systemic insecticides widely used in corn and soy production, are causing widespread declines in insect and bird populations, particularly honey bees in Canada. It highlights that these chemicals are water-soluble, persistent, and toxic to arthropods, potentially threatening global food security by reducing fruit, vegetable, and nut supplies. While some government reports suggest economic losses from a ban, other studies indicate that neonic seed treatments provide negligible benefits to crop yields. The briefing notes regulatory responses in Ontario, Québec, and the European Union to mitigate these risks.

• Neonicotinoids are systemic pesticides that represent more than 25% of the global insecticide market and are most commonly used on corn, canola, soybeans, dry beans, and small cereals.
• A multi-disciplinary review of 1,121 scientific studies found that neonics and fipronil are extremely toxic to most arthropods, toxic to vertebrates like fish and birds, water-soluble, and persistent in soil.
• In Canada, honey bee over-wintering losses increased from a historical average of 10-15% to 29% over nine years, with Ontario reporting losses of 58% in 2013 and 38% in 2014.
• The Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) determined that neonic pesticide exposure contributed to abnormally high honey bee mortality rates near treated corn and soybean fields in Manitoba, Quebec, and southern Ontario.
• The total loss of animal pollinators could lead to a 23% decrease in global fruit supplies, a 16% decrease in vegetables, and a 22% decrease in nuts and seeds, potentially increasing global deaths from nutrition-related diseases by 1.42 million people annually.
• Evidence suggests that neonic seed treatments often provide negligible benefits to soybean yields and that their use in corn does not significantly increase yields even when pests are present.
• Regulatory actions have been taken to limit neonics, including an EU moratorium in 2013, a Québec strategy to prohibit aesthetic use and mandate agronomic prescriptions, and Ontario legislation to reduce treated corn and soy acreage by 80% by 2017.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). Neonics, Honey Bees, and Food Security. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1.CAPE-Backgrounder-Neonics-Honey-Bees-Food-Security.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Neonics, Honey Bees, and Food Security. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1.CAPE-Backgrounder-Neonics-Honey-Bees-Food-Security.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Neonics, Honey Bees, and Food Security |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1.CAPE-Backgrounder-Neonics-Honey-Bees-Food-Security.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndneonics, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Neonics, Honey Bees, and Food Security}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1.CAPE-Backgrounder-Neonics-Honey-Bees-Food-Security.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }