The Annual March Against Monsanto will buzz its way onto South Whidbey Saturday.

Members of the Whidbey Island Beekeepers Association (Whidbees) and South Whidbey Tilth, many dressed as bees, will assemble Saturday to participate in an event organizers have dubbed the Swarm Against Monsanto.

“[We] welcome the battalion of bees and all marchers to meet at the Bayview Park & Ride at 11 a.m. for some creative protest against biochemical industry giants such as Monsanto and Bayer,” said Susan Prescott, president of South Whidbey Tilth in a new release.

Scientists have indicated genetically engineered seeds have caused colony collapse among the world’s bee population, the release said. A Harvard University study suggests sublethal exposure to neonicotinoids, imidacloprid and clothianidin, affect bees and the environment by contaminating pollen and nectar. The bees are found to forage less and produce fewer offspring.

Another insecticide, coumaphos is a compound used in honeybee hives to kill a parasite called, Varroa mite, that commonly attacks honeybees. However hive queens were observed to have physical abnormalities and atypical behavior. The queens exposed to coumaphos weighed significantly less and had lower ovary weights than the control group queens. The highest coumaphos concentrations were observed in the queen cells and wax of the high-dose groups.

Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism, though it is known that Monsanto’s GMO seeds are found to be harmful to the environment, according to the release.

“Organic and small farmers suffer losses while Monsanto monopolizes its influence over the world’s food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds and genetic makeup,” the release said. “In recent days, Bayer has made an offer to buy Monsanto.”

On Whidbey, organizers are planning a “playful swarm” through the Bayview Farmers’ Market to celebrate bees of all varieties who pollinate plants in the field and gardens. About one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination. Local farmers at the Bayview and South Whidbey Tilth Farmers’ Markets largely practice organic and sustainable agriculture and have a large stake in the survival of not only European honeybees, but of the many native bees.

Customers are encouraged to vote with their dollars to support local sustainable agriculture by attending farmers’ markets. There will be a honeybee teach-in to raise awareness from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 22 at the South Whidbey Tilth Farmers’ Market.

Participants are encouraged to dress as honeybees or flowers and make signs that protest Monsanto’s GMO seeds which are harmful to the environment.