FACTSHEET: Neonics, Honey Bees and Food Security

The document describes neonicotinoids as systemic insecticides that spread through plant tissues and are linked to large-scale honey bee colony losses. It cites a Worldwide Integrated Assessment finding these pesticides toxic to most insects and capable of impairing bee learning and fertility. In Canada, specifically Ontario, significant winter colony losses were reported in 2013 and 2014, leading to provincial legislation to reduce neonic-treated seed planting by 80% by 2017. The European Union also implemented a two-year ban on agricultural neonic use starting in January 2013.

• Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides widely used on crops like corn, canola, soybeans, and dry beans; they permeate all plant tissues, including pollen and nectar, exposing pollinators during foraging or planting.
• Honey bee colonies in Canada have experienced dramatic over-winter losses, with Ontario reporting losses of nearly 60% in the winter of 2013 and nearly 40% in the winter of 2014. Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency found neonic pesticides were partially responsible for some 2012 and 2013 losses, alongside factors like climate change, weather, parasites, and habitat loss.
• A Worldwide Integrated Assessment by an international Task Force found that neonics and Fipronil are extremely toxic to most insects, spiders, and crustaceans, and moderately toxic to fish and birds. These substances persist in soil, leach into water sources, and harm bees at low exposure levels by reducing fertility, increasing deaths, and impairing learning.
• The European Union enacted a two-year ban on agricultural neonic use in January 2013. In Ontario, legislation passed in July 2014 aims to reduce the acreage of neonic-treated corn and soybean seeds by 80% by 2017, targeting imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and clothianidin to lower hive mortality to 15% by 2020.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2015). FACTSHEET: Neonics, Honey Bees and Food Security. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2.CAPE-Factsheet-Neonics-Honey-Bees-and-Food-Security.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. FACTSHEET: Neonics, Honey Bees and Food Security. 2015. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2.CAPE-Factsheet-Neonics-Honey-Bees-and-Food-Security.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=FACTSHEET: Neonics, Honey Bees and Food Security |date=October 2015 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2.CAPE-Factsheet-Neonics-Honey-Bees-and-Food-Security.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2015factsheet, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{FACTSHEET: Neonics, Honey Bees and Food Security}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2.CAPE-Factsheet-Neonics-Honey-Bees-and-Food-Security.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }