When Dave Passafiume bumped into some men at a conference looking for farmers to enlist bees in a test to distribute pest and disease control on crops, he considered the severe losses he sometimes saw on his strawberry fields and decided to give it a try.

B次元官网网址淚 wasnB次元官网网址檛 sure what to expect,B次元官网网址� said the farmer, who operates an organic strawberry and apple operation in Markham, Ont. B次元官网网址� about 50 kilometres northeast of Toronto B次元官网网址� with his wife.

HeB次元官网网址檚 now been employing the bees for about eight seasons and says he loses much less of his crop to mould.

Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc. (BVT) has created a way for bees to deliver a bacterial fungicide to blueberry, sunflower and other crops to help protect them from disease in a method it says is cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, long considered the gold-standard for approvals, recently certified BVTB次元官网网址檚 proprietary ingredient and the company now plans to start selling the system to American farmers and expedite its push for approvals in other countries, including Canada.

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B次元官网网址淭he target has always been the U.S. first,B次元官网网址� said CEO Ashish Malik. B次元官网网址淭he reason being is itB次元官网网址檚 the single, biggest market for this technology.B次元官网网址�

In late August, the EPA approved the Mississauga, Ont.-based companyB次元官网网址檚 Vectorite, the brand name for its proprietary bacterial fungicide, for use on commercial crops.

The company sets up bumble bee or honey bee hives on farms and installs special trays filled with Vectorite inside that the bees must walk through, picking up the powder on their feet, before flying away to pollinate nearby crops. The process works for fields of strawberries, sunflowers, apples, tomatoes, canola and blueberries. The system requires less chemicals, machinery and water than traditional distribution methods, the company says.

BVT had to prove that its method and the Vectorite wouldnB次元官网网址檛 harm the bees as part of the approval process.

Bee health and safety has been a major issue over the past decade with the identification of Colony Collapse Disorder among honey bees. CCD occurs when the majority of a hiveB次元官网网址檚 worker bees disappear, leaving behind the queen and a few other bees, according to the EPA. The hive dies as it canB次元官网网址檛 sustain life without the worker bees.

The food system depends on bees, which pollinate much of the worldB次元官网网址檚 food supply. One out of every three bites of food people eat is made possible by pollinators like honey bees, according to Bees Matter, a partnership of agricultural organizations that say they have a vested interest in pollinator health.

BVT suggests using bumble bees over honey bees B次元官网网址� though it can set up either type of hive B次元官网网址� as bumble bees can carry more Vectorite and fly in a wider variety of climates.

The company conducted a number of studies on the technologyB次元官网网址檚 effect on adult bees and larva as part of the approval process, said Malik, adding itB次元官网网址檚 confident the process doesnB次元官网网址檛 have any adverse impact on the insects. It also asked the commercial beekeepers it works with to track their colonies.

B次元官网网址淭he reality is, since we work with commercial beekeepers, if we had an adverse effect, we would automatically be out of business.B次元官网网址�

Several academics who study bees wouldnB次元官网网址檛 comment on whether the process harms bees, citing a lack of information.

Marla Spivak, a former MacArthur fellow and an entomology professor at the University of Minnesota, declined an interview, but sent a note saying, B次元官网网址淚 think we need more research on the risks that fungicides pose to bee health before using them as vectors.B次元官网网址�

Since the EPA approval, the company has big plans for rapid growth.

The company has been testing the system in the U.S., Canada, and some other countries, said Malik, but can now start selling the system to U.S. farmers.

With EPA approval in hand, the company expects increased ease of access to other markets and is working to secure approvals in the European Union, Mexico, and Canada B次元官网网址� among other countries.

The pricing will be similar to conventional methods, he said, but will result in higher yields with less crop destroyed.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not about saving (farmers) money. ItB次元官网网址檚 about giving them more revenue per acre.B次元官网网址�

Before enlisting the bees, Passafiume would lose about 10 per cent of his crop to mould in a dry year and up to 70 per cent during a very bad, wet season. With the bees, PassafiumeB次元官网网址檚 crops encounter close to zero grey mould.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just a radical difference,B次元官网网址� he said.

BVT plans to increase the number of diseases and pests it can help ward off. It envisions a future where the bees deliver two or three biological, safe plant protection products in one flight, Malik said.

B次元官网网址淏y that process, the plant now can fight several different diseases and pests as opposed to the ones that our product by itself addresses.B次元官网网址�

Aleksandra Sagan, The Canadian Press

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