Pesticide toxicity to bees

Despite a bloc-wide ban on toxic pesticides that wipe out pollinators, several European Union member-states, including Greece, continue to export more than 10,000 tons of "bee killer" a year, mainly to poorer countries, an investigation by Greenpeace and the Swiss NGO Public Eye has revealed.

After mass bee deaths in Canada and Australia at an unprecedented rate, eyes have now turned to Türkiye, one of the leading countries in the beekeeping industry.

Türkiye ranks second in the number of hives and sixth in honey production worldwide. But today, it is facing serious losses due to the unconscious use of agricultural pesticides and non-practical beekeeping training.

Ljubljana – The Slovenian Beekeeper’s Association has urged the government to reject any EU proposal to lower protection standards for honey bees or other pollinators. The beekeepers fear this could happen as part of the EU’s revision of guidelines on risk assessment of pesticides.

Beekeepers from all over the country mounted a protest in front of the Ministry of Agriculture in Sofia.The reason for their discontent is the high mortality rate in bee families due to spraying with unauthorized chemicals and pesticides, and the lack of national strategy for beekeeping industry.

The Earthwatch Institute named bees the most important living thing on the planet in its latest debate at the Royal Geographical Society in London in 2019.

The researchers also reminded that bees are already at risk of extinction. Recent studies show that about 90% of the world's bees are extinct.

While people have been confined to their homes this spring, wildlife has faced less human disturbance, traffic and polluting fumes. In Israel, wild boar are venturing further into the city of Haifa than before, while dolphins are increasingly braving the Bosphorus, the Turkish narrows that normally serves as a busy shipping route.

The measures proposed so far do not guarantee the preservation of the population, MEPs say. A resolution is now expected to be voted on to take additional measures to protect pollinators.

There is a real risk that 45,000 tons of honey from South America would enter the European market through duty-free imports, the Association of Producers of Organic Bee Products warn. This could happen due to a trade agreement between the EU and MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market), BNR reported.

Beekeepers who suffered from different parts of the country are planning protests after mass poisoning with pesticides and demanding compensation from the state, Nova TV reports. The first action is planned for May 4 in Pleven.

AFP - Bumblebees acquire a taste for food laced with a pesticide known to harm them, according to a study suggesting the chemicals pose an even greater threat to pollinators than previously thought.