More than half a billion bees dropped dead in Brazil within 3 months [View all]
Source: CBS News
BY CAITLIN O'KANE
AUGUST 19, 2019 / 2:44 PM / CBS NEWS
More than half a billion bees dropped dead in Brazil within just three months, according to Bloomberg. Researchers say the main cause of death is pesticides, which could end up effecting more than the bees.
As some of the most integral pollinators in nature, bees contribute to the reproduction of various plants. About 75% of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports.
FAO has warned about the importance of protecting bees to ensure food security. With 500 million dead in Brazil, the future of food has come into question.
. . .
Lab research pointed to pesticides with neonicotinoids and fipronil — products banned in Europe — as the main cause of death. The use of these bee-killing pesticides spiked under former President Michel Temer and current President Jair Bolsonaro, according to Greenpeace's Unearthed.
In just three years, 193 weedkillers and pesticides containing chemicals banned in the European Union were registered in Brazil, the Unearthed investigation revealed. Brazil has become the biggest buyer of pesticides in the world.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-than-half-a-billion-bees-dropped-dead-in-brazil-within-3-months-and-environmentalists-are-worried/
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