Dying honey bees: Let’s hear from all the experts

The world will be truly grateful to Ontario environmental commissioner Gord Miller if he has indeed struck on the precise cause of the worrying decrease in the honey bee population. Today, Mr. Miller, accompanied by beekeeper David Shuitt, was close to tears as he predicted “the end of the ecosystem.”  They say an insecticide named neonicontinoids is to blame. Mr. Miller called it more deadly than DDT, which actually is not saying very much if you listen to some people who think that DDT was wrongly banned in a wave of panic 40 years ago. But the disappearing honey bee could not be a more serious issue for any government. The problem, as described by Mr. Miller, is profound enough to require the attention of the Premier, and indeed of the Prime Minister for that matter.  As in all things, it is wise to keep our wits about us in order to act sensibly. There is no value in causing panic.  Let us hear from other experts and from our legislators as soon as possible.