Ontario government investigating what caused the death of 1.2 million bees in Lively

Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is looking into the massive bee kill that happened at Mikkola Family Farm & Apiary in Lively early in June. 

Spokesperson Gary Wheeler told CBC News in an email that staff visited the property where the sudden deaths took place in late August. 

They are currently "assessing the available information to help determine what may have caused the bee kill." 

Dawn Lalonde, who runs Mikkola Family Farm & Apiary, said half of her 40 or so colonies suddenly dropped dead around June 14. 

Beekeeper looking for answers after 1.2 million bees suddenly drop dead

5 months ago

Duration 1:06

Dawn Lalonde of Mikkola Family Farm & Apiary in Lively is raising money to send samples of the dead bees to a lab for further testing. She and others believe their sudden death is a warning that something is wrong in the environment.

A few weeks prior to that, an annual inspection by Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture concluded her bees were in good health, and there were no signs of disease or pests on the bodies, leading Lalonde to conclude a chemical in the environment was to blame. 

Lalonde was able to raise $10,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to send samples to the University of Guelph Agriculture and Food Lab for further testing.

The results came in early in August, and Lalonde said there were some concerning findings, although she does not specify what chemicals were found in the bees. 

The ministry confirmed it is reviewing the results from the lab. It is also "following up with local commercial pesticide operators to assess whether any local residential pesticide applications took place around the time of the June 14, 2024." 

Mikkola Family Farm & Apiary fields are not located close to agricultural operations, so Lalonde believes the chemicals that killed the bees originated from residences nearby.

"I feel a mix of relief and concern that the ministry has opened an investigation," she said. "On the one hand, they are looking into it, but on the other, it signals something may be off in the environment." 

Ministry looking into another incident involving bee mortality

Ian Grant, president of the Ontario Beekeepers Association, previously told CBC news that mortality rates in apiaries have been particularly high coming out of the winter this year.

"Unfortunately, this year we have been hearing about large losses in the beekeeping community and we can't attribute it to any particular issue," he said. 

The ministry also confirmed it is investigating another incident involving bee mortality. 

"We are reviewing details of the incident to determine a potential source and whether it is associated with an activity that we regulate, such as pesticides," Wheeler wrote in an email.