Northern Ont. beekeeper says she has lost almost 2M bees this season

CTV News Northern Ontario provides and update on the story of more than 1.5 million bees be lost earlier this summer.

In June, CTV News Northern Ontario told the story of a Greater Sudbury area beekeeper who lost half of her bee population – about 1.5 million bees, due to what she believed was an acute chemical kill.

Now, testing done at the University of Guelph’s Agriculture and Food Laboratory has confirmed that is the case.

“I still fear walking out into my yard today, tomorrow, if these companies come and spray within the residential areas, within anywhere from three miles of me, that the it's going to be another day like it was in July, August. It doesn't stop,” said beekeeper Dawn Lalonde.

“It's not just one and I know it's not just one company and I'm not here to point fingers and place blame these products, if used correctly, can be done safely for protection of our food sources. Unfortunately, in my opinion, and this is my opinion, cosmetic green lawns is the new monoculture of the north and it's not a food source.”

Lalonde is the owner-operator of Mikkola Family Farm & Apiary and the True North Honey Company. She told CTV News that since the last time our cameras caught up with her she has experienced even more loss and has now lost almost 2 million bees in total.