Canadian beekeepers have stepped up their fight with Big Pesticide over crop coatings they argue are killing or contaminating their bee colonies.

Beekeepers have asked an Ontario court to certify a class action lawsuit, alleging that pesticide producers Bayer Cropscience and Syngenta Canada have been negligent in the design, sale and distribution of neonicotinoid pesticides.

Tom Congdon is the owner of Sun Parlor Honey and one of the lead plaintiffs. The plaintiffs are asking for more than $400 million dollars. None of the allegations has yet to be proven in court.