Excessive use of agchem decimated 50% of the bees in Southern Brazil‏

Combined with a rainy spring, the excessive use of agrochemicals is pointed as a cause of the disappearance of almost 250,000 bee hives in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul in 2015, reaching the impressive percentage of 50%. The mortality index regarded as acceptable is up to 15%, which left local beekeepers on alert and shrank drastically the honey production in the southern-most state of Brazil.

 

"The climate is not the only cause of mortality. The increased use of agrochemicals, highly efficient on agriculture, influences the hives health. The expansion of monoculture, associated with agrochemicals, requires monitoring and not compromising the bees longevity," explained Aroni Sattler, a Professor of Apiculture at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.

 

According to Brazil local news, when collecting the plants pollen with the application of pesticides (e.g. fipronil), the bees take residue into the hive - perhaps affecting 700 other individuals on average.