Beekeepers in Canada have filed a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturers of pesticides they fear are harming pollinating insects.

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Across the northern hemisphere, populations of managed bee colonies and, evidence suggests, wild pollinating insects are in decline. Although reasons for declines appear to be multifaceted, including loss of habitat, climate change and possibly disease, a growing body of evidence suggests that certain pesticides may also be playing a part.

Beekeepers from Ontario, Canada are seeking damages from historical and continued use of neonicotinoid insecticides, which they claim have been killing or weakening bees and affecting queens' fertility.

Sun Parlor Honey and Munro Honey filed their lawsuit on Tuesday against agchem companies Bayer CropScience and Syngenta. Since the case was filed, many smaller producers have reportedly joined.

Lawyers representing the two producers from law firm Siskinds LLP said others can still sign onto the lawsuit. They claim the companies named have been "Negligent in their design, manufacture, sale and distribution of neonicotinoids," Which the Ontario Beekeeping Association believes has "caused beekeepers to suffer significant losses and damage."

Though the claims have not yet been tested in court, the apiarists are seeking damages dating back to 2006.

Neonicotinoids imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiomethoxam (which have been 'partially banned' in the EU for a two year period) are used widely on soybeans, maize and oilseed rape crops in Canada.

The pesticides have been applied to 4.2 million acres in Ontario (over 95 percent of maize seeds and 65 percent of soy seeds). OBA claims that the link between neonicotinoid use and colony losses has been confirmed by government public health body Health Canada. The Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists reported that Ontario beekeepers lost 58 percent of their hives last winter – more than three times the average of the rest of Canada. According to OBA President, Dan Davidson, beekeepers are also reporting significant summer losses this year.

Ontario's provincial agriculture minister Jeff Leal announced that the government is considering introducing a licensing system to monitor the use of neonicotinoids and target the products' applications to cases where there is a "demonstrated need" for the 2015 planting season. The government's Pest Management Regulatory Agency is also currently reviewing the controversial pesticides.

"While the OBA is not directly involved in this action, we support any effort that could help beekeepers recover losses caused by the overuse of neonicotinoids," Ontario Beekeeping Association spokesperson Tibor Szabo said on Tuesday. "This Action puts the blame where it belongs - on the pesticide manufacturers."

Syngenta and Bayer deny that their products are impacting on bees' health. Both companies claimed not to have received formal notice of the lawsuit on Wednesday. However, a spokesperson for Syngenta Canada told Ontario's Better Farming that field trials in the country have shown bees and other pollinators can coexist with neonicotinoids. The two companies sued the EU in August last year, when the Commission passed restrictions on three neonicotinoids.

Over a third of global crop production is – to some extent – reliant on pollination from wildlife, including insects, birds and bats. Three quarters of the world's major food crops (87 out of 115) are reliant on wildlife-aided pollination, to varying degrees.

Siskinds sources have said lawsuits of this kind take an average of three to five years to resolve. The firm's spokesperson said the beekeepers intend to push for the development of more responsible pest control methods.