The provincial government of Ontario proposed a three-point initiative to reduce use of corn and soybean seed treated with neonicotinoid pesticides by 80 percent by 2017, to reduce over-wintering deaths of honeybees by 15 percent by 2020 and to develop a comprehensive plan for pollinator health, says the CBC. The pesticides are believed to be a factor in the severe drop in honeybee populations. “The ministry will consult with stakeholders on a proposal to reduce neonicotinoid-treated seed, and if the proposal moves forward, new rules will be in place by July 1 — in time for the following years planting season,” says the CBC. A farm group said the proposal was “unfounded, impractical and unrealistic.”