Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52GETTING KEY MESSAGES INTO THE HANDS THAT NEED THEM. For a handout on this topic, visit Germination.ca.. Send us your company name and logo and we'll develop a customized PDF for you to distribute. Denys says that his initial impres- sions are that growers were not com- pletely willing to go without insecticide treated seed. “Many growers either chose to continue to plant neonic treated seed or they switched to alter- native insecticide treated seed,” he says. “I estimate that there was a shift in sales of between 15 and 20 per cent away from Class 12 pesticides to seed treated with an alternative insecticide treatment. There was only about a one per cent shift to untreated or fungicide only treated corn seed. The shift to fungicide only treated seed was much higher in soybeans.” Did the regulations impact crop yield? According to Denys, while the data from trials hasn’t yet been ana- lyzed, it seems that the weather was a bigger factor than the regulations. “There were some instances of seed corn maggot in soybeans,” he says, but it was so hot and dry in many regions that it will be difficult to measure the impact of the changes that were adopted this year. For example, we were expecting that there would be significant aphid issues in soybeans, but it appears that it was too hot for aphids this year.” Isn’t it Ironic? All of the work to implement and comply with the first year of regula- tions, came after two very important studies were completed and released. Both appear to indicate that there was no need for the regulations at all. Health Canada issued its prelimi- nary re-evaluation of imidacloprid in January 2016. The report found that imidacloprid seed treatment posed no potential risk to bees. The conclusion was: “Residue levels in crop pollen and nectar resulting from seed treat- ment uses are typically below levels expected to pose a risk to bees.” MOECC’s Wheeler points out that imidacloprid is rarely used to treat corn and soybean seed. “The agency’s reports on thiamethoxam and clothianidin are expected later this year,” he shares. The Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) found that the winter of 2015-16 was the best ever for Canadian honeybees. In July, CAPA reported that the over- wintering bee colony losses were the lowest since 2006-07. The national loss was 16.8 per cent. Ontario’s overwinter loss was 17.9 per cent. That is down more than 50 per cent from 2014-15 when wintering losses 37.6 per cent. It is almost 70 per cent lower than the overwintering losses in 2013-14. Both of these scientific conclusions were reached for time periods before Ontario’s regulations came into effect. Denys says that while these reports don’t seem to have changed the Ontario government’s focus, they did impact others. “The government of Quebec was considering similar regulations a few years ago,” he says. “But when they saw a significant drop in overwintering losses, they decided not to rush into regulations that may not be needed.” What’s Next for Growers? As of now, growers can only purchase Class 12 pesticides if they have taken the IPM course and have received a cer- tification number. They must also sign a declaration that they have considered IPM principles in their purchase deci- sions. Growers also have to complete a pest assessment report for corn and soybeans. The pest assessment can be: 1. A soil inspection pest assessment report, which can be conducted by the grower, provided he/she has an IPM certification; or it can be completed by a professional pest adviser. 2. A crop inspection pest assess- ment report which has to be completed by a professional pest adviser. NOVEMBER 2016 25 Growing Alternatives In the fall of 2015 Syngenta’s Fortenza Maxim Quattro was approved as a seed treatment for corn. The product was registered in late 2014 for early-season cutworm control in canola. According to Syngenta: “Fortenza Maxim Quattro can help deliver higher yields compared to fungicide-only treatments in the presence of labelled pest feeding from European chafer, wireworm and cutworm.” Denys adds: “Most companies still sold neonicotinoid treated seed, but many also sold seed treated with the non-neonicotinoid insecticide.” In June of this year, another non-neonicotinoid seed treatment was approved by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency. DuPont’s Lumivia is expected to be commercially available for the 2017 planting season. According to Dupont: Lumivia “protects corn against early-­ season, below-­ ground insect pests such as wireworms and seed corn maggots, as well as foliage feeders including cutworms and armyworms.”