Our rapid shift away from rural life has disturbed habitats and food supplies for bees, but new research says cities could hold the key to their survival.
The honeybee crisis has galvanized interest in pollinators, inspiring citizens to establish new spaces, from wild bee hotels and rooftop honeybee hives to pollinator gardens in parks and schoolyards.
Ontario's proposal to restrict use of neonicotinoids on corn and soybean seed is far from radical, but it's no surprise that the pesticide industry and its associates oppose even this modest proposal.
We must harness and amplify homegrown local creativity to enhance urban ecologies and make communities more livable and resilient. Smart urban innovations should be scaled up, shared and adapted.
Federal regulators want to approve a new pesticide, flupyradifurone. That would be bad for bees and people. We need to stop contaminating the environment with neonics and other systemic pesticides.
It's clear federal and provincial governments are not interested in protecting the environment and its pollinators. It is the local "fight backs" where change is occurring.
A comprehensive new study offers conclusive proof that neonicotinoid insecticides are killing pollinators, which will affect us all. So why are they still being approved?