Near 12 million bees die contaminated by pesticides in northern RS

Near 12 million bees die contaminated by pesticides in northern RS

Near 200 hives, with a population of 12 millions of bees, They were decimated in the last days 2018, Progress on Line, in the municipality of San Jose Mission, northern region of Rio Grande do Sul. Six families of beekeepers had their hives in total loss, one of its main sources of income. According to the affected farmers, the cause of mortality was misuse of the insecticide Fipronil base, in a crop of soybeans in the region. The application of this insecticide would have occurred in late December and the bees began to die in the days 30 is 31 from December. Agronomist Mairo Piovesan, working in Emater, in San Jose Mission, He received in recent days reports of at least six families affected by the death of bees. The video below was done on the property of Mr.. Leo and Dona Angela Ballin on Line Progress:

Farmers reported what happened to photos and videos that show millions of dead bees around the hives. According Mairo Piovesan, the insecticide is used to control the giant anteater of soybean. Use of this product, pointed, It is authorized in soybean, but it was used in the same spray tank with the herbicide glyphosate, applied for desiccation of soybean weed, and end up reaching turnip plants where they were bees. The use of the insecticide and glyphosate in the same tank, to save the application, It is prohibited by law, said the agronomist. According to him, the information already obtained, Bees death was almost complete in a radius of six kilometers from the site of application.

"It's hard to measure the loss of value of these hives. Only two families lost more than 100 hives representing their main source of income ", said Piovesan. The damage is being calculated and will be joined to the investigation that law enforcement agencies are conducting. The Environmental Brigade Military Patrol has been achieved in the area to conduct a survey and families affected will record occurrence in the Civil Police. Until today, by the agronomist has news, this problem had not happened on this scale in the region which has the soybean one of its main crops. The contamination of a beehive speed is very fast, He explained. A few bees contaminated enough to contaminate all the hive.

In 2012, Ibama suggested to reassess the use of four pesticides associated with the death of bee: Imidacloprido, Tiametoxam, Clotianidina e Fipronil. The decision of IBAMA, in season, It was based on scientific research and decisions taken by other countries, like France, where Fipronil is prohibited from 2004. In 2013, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a negative opinion on the continued use of insecticides based on fipronil.

In Rio Grande do Sul, the death of bees has worsened in recent years. In 2017, according to Brazilian Chamber of Beekeeping of the Agriculture State Secretary, near 3 thousand hives have been decimated in the State. In most cases, deaths occurred by contamination with pesticides Bees.

Link to original article:
https://www.sul21.com.br/areazero/2019/01/cerca-de-12-milhoes-de-abelhas-morrem-contaminadas-por-agrotoxico-no-norte-do-rs/