Northern Ont. beekeeper advising others to have colonies tested for chemicals
A northern Ontario beekeeper is sounding the alarm after discovering most of her bees had died earlier this year.
A northern Ontario beekeeper is sounding the alarm after discovering most of her bees had died earlier this year. Janice Mitchell discovered she had lost thousands of bees across 15 colonies in February 2024. Mitchell shows some of the losses in April 2024. (Ian Campbell/CTV News Northern Ontario)
Janice Mitchell is a veterinarian by trade and so she decided to send some of the deceased bees away for testing.
The beekeeper was surprised to learn most of those tested had high levels of glyphosate, a toxic herbicide found in products like RoundUp.
CTV News staff walked toured Mitchell’s backyard in Tehkummah Township on Manitoulin Island earlier this month.
She said the constant soothing hum she would hear in her ears when outside has gone silent these days.
"It was in February when I discovered the majority of my bees at the farm property that we're at here had succumbed and that's what I needed to find out," said Mitchell.
Thousands of bees across 15 colonies had died and she immediately got to work to find answers.
Surprising results
According to the lab where Mitchell sent her bees – including the queen – the specimens contained 0.57ppm of glyphosate.
Health Canada guidelines say the maximum acceptable concentration for a human in a glass of drinking water is 0.28ppm and these bees contained twice that level.
A graphic to explain the conversion of Health Canada's maximum acceptable concentration of glyphosate into parts per million (ppm) to compare with the concentrations Janice Mitchell say the lab told her was found in her dead bees. (CTV News Northern Ontario)
Mitchell said the result came as a surprise.
"It wasn't the fact that... I'm not going to get any honey, it's the fact that what's the bigger implication,” she said.
“I am studying these bees but what about the natural – the wild pollinators, the wild bees, what about the water runoff in our Blue Jay Creek, the Manitou, all our water sources, what about the birds that eat these bugs … It's just it's the bottom. I think it's the canary in the coal mine."
Mitchell has forwarded her findings to other researchers including the Ontario Beekeepers' Association.
The environment needs healthy bees
In this May 21, 2008 file photo, honey bees sit on a honeycomb. (Heribert Proepper/AP Photo)
Officials with the Beekeepers' Association said ensuring healthy bee environments is part of their strategic plan.
"Our goal is to ensure that we have healthy bees, healthy bee environments and a prosperous beekeeping industry and businesses in the province,” said Ian Grant, the association’s president.
“So we're always concerned anytime any beekeeper loses a hive.”
Grant said he could not comment on Mitchel’s situation at this time because he has not yet seen the test results.
Changes to the area’s environment may be a factor
Mitchell said more for-profit farming operations have gone up recently around her property replacing what was previously pasture land.
"I have this farm here with flowering bushes and shrubs and I need them for pollination,” she said.
Mitchell added she hopes one day she will be able to rebuild but for the time being she is still processing her loss.
“I have to do some thinking definitely but, I haven't given up yet," she said.
In the meantime, Mitchell is encouraging other beekeepers to consider testing their colonies for chemicals such as glyphosate.
Veterinarian and beekeeper Janice Mitchell told CTV News in April 2024 that she hopes to one day rebuild her bee colonies after discovering she has lost thousand of bees in back February 2024. (Ian Campbell/CTV News Northern Ontario)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
VIA Rail service delayed for hours due to suspicious package investigation in Kingston, Ont.
VIA Rail service resumed in the Kingston, Ont. area late Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious package investigation halted train service for more than four hours over the Victoria Day long weekend.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.