"An extensive review by Health Canada's PMRA [Pest Management Regulatory Agency] concluded that neonicotinoid class pesticides present in dust released during planting of corn and suspected soybean was due to bee fatalities reported in 2012 and 2013. The locations where the incidents were reported correspond to corn growing regions in Canada... Agricultural data indicating that bee mortalities coincided with specific activities corn and soybean seedlings. In addition, 70% of dead bees collected during the corn and soybean planting periods in 2012 and 2013 had neonicotinoid residues, while the majority of live bees did not. Evidence indicates that exposure to neonicotinoids during the planting season of corn and soybean evoked bee mortalities in 2012 and 2013...

These incidents were similar to incidents reported in Europe, where the planting of maize seeds was also leading to bee mortality cases"

Figure 1 Locations of reported honey bee incidents across Canada in 2013