Disappearance of bees worries

In addition to the pests, crop protection products may be responsible for killing an important ally in agricultural production: pollinating animals. Ibama (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) ordered manufacturers redoing studies to prove the effects of some types of pesticides on bees, bats, butterflies and other animals. The suspicion is that the products are responsible for the extermination of hives.

Use of the product was authorized in the country. But, with the registry of sudden deaths of bees, the federal government requested to be redone studies to prove the operation of the substances. According to the general coordinator of assessment and control of chemical substances and dangerous products Ibama, Marcio Freitas, the re-evaluation aims to identify possible adverse effects on insects. It needs to identify the residues in the leaves, flores, pollen and the volume absorbed by bees and the degree of intoxication.

According to the results, Products can be definitely banned. The first results were insufficient. New findings of the case are expected for next year. Another problem, second Freitas, It is that chronic toxicity could result in confusion Bee. The insect loses direction and can not return to the hive. The phenomenon is known as colony collapse syndrome. The problem is also lethal. "From the Hive perspective, disorientation is even more critical ", says Freitas.

The reassessment of the use of fipronil and neonicotinoid (derivative of nicotine insecticide) It is being studied worldwide. Italy vetoed them for two years. The question as to the effects began after the release of the first data bee deaths. No interval between April 2014 e de 2015, the number of hives there was reduction 42%. The year was the second worst in terms of reduced. In Brazil, the registration of new products is vetoed from 2012 and aerial application is prohibited at the time of flowering. According to the Ministry of the Environment, 5 thousand hives of Africanized bees were exterminated in Sao Paulo. "We do not have a conclusion. By studies, it was not possible to characterize the pesticides as the only critical factor ", says Márcio Freitas.

Other factors may contribute to mortality, such as climate change and the effects of deforestation and monoculture habitat for bees. The general coordinator of the project The general coordinator of the project, initiative created by the Rio Grande do Norte Technological Center of Beekeeping and Meliponiculture in defense of bees in Brazil, Daniel Malusá, It states that international studies show the toxic level of Fipronil for bees. "It's a very serious problem. It is necessary to review the indiscriminate use of these products ", the firm.

The crop protection product is used to prevent pest attacks on crops, thus allowing for increased agricultural productivity. Paradoxically, some of these products may have considerably more damaging effect on the production level. This because, case studies underway confirm the toxicity to pollinators, animal death can attack directly the amount of food produced given the dependence of bees in pollination, extremely important for the development of various crops.

Figures from the Ministry of the Environment show that 87,5% species of flowering plants depend on pollinators for generating fruit and healthy seed. The warning is that the decline in pollinators may lead to reduced fruit production, vegetables and other agricultural products. No fruits das case, bees and other pollinators are responsible for up to 90% Pollination.

With an eye on risk, o projeto Bee or Not To Be, initiative created by the Rio Grande do Norte Technological Center of Beekeeping and Meliponiculture in defense of bees in Brazil, He created the campaign "No bee, without food ". The proposal is to show that the death of pollinators can result in reduced food production. "Pollination is as important as the sun, the water, the soil and the nutrient. It has to be understood as having essential role in the agricultural chain. No use having all the other elements if there is a little bee to take pollen ", said the general coordinator of the project, Daniel Malusá. The project created an application to register all cases of bee death in Brazil (Be alert).

Segundo o projeto Bee or Not To Be, instead of the use of these pesticides, the adoption of best practices can mitigate the impacts. Possible measures to be adopted are the conservation of natural areas, maintaining native vegetation next to the growing area; the planting of plants attractive to pollinators nearby crop; revolver as little as possible the soil, because some bees make their nests on the ground, and not applying pesticides in the visiting hours of pollinator (usually in the morning).

Although domestic demand is higher than supply, foreign demand for Brazilian honey resulted in export 25,3 tons of the product in natura last year, and other derivatives. The amount is 57,1% greater than the volume exported 2013, year in which the death of heavily impacted production hives in Brazil.

Main mining producer, José Renato Fonseca, director Mel Santa Barbara, has 1 thousand hives. Altogether, are 60 millions of bees that produce 1,2 thousand kilos of honey per day. Due to the presence of eucalyptus in a municipality of the third that gives the name to the apiary, the company takes the flowering wood for the placement of hives. The honey is processed in more than 100 types of products, says Fonseca, including propolis, royal jelly and food supplement.

The producer Mazio Sérvulo Magellan strategy is different. It keeps apiaries in several municipalities (Nova Lima, Caeté, São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo and Baron Cocais). The explanation is that it is recommended to keep distance of six kilometers from the apiaries, each one with 15 a 20 hives. Other factors need to be considered when starting an investment in the sector, as flowering type region and the presence of indigenous vegetation.

Some flowers give pollen in abundance, like coconut and Senna Bicapsularis; others are strong in honey, such as eucalyptus, vine-grape and orange, while others mix the two in a reasonable amount. The choice has to be made according to the type of product to be market and the target audience. According to Magalhães, from bakeries to pharmacies, There diversified demand for honey producers. And more: the product is very popular abroad. That's because the bees are Africanized in Brazil, which increases the resistance. Out there, European bees are more susceptible to diseases, This implies the use of antibiotics and chemicals. "The Brazilian honey has no contamination of any kind", says Magalhães.