Death came
rapidly for Aldo Machado’s honeybees and within 24 hours of the first signs of
sickness among the Apis mellifera, tens of thousands lay dead, their bodies
piled in mounds.
The vice
president of Rio Grande do Sul beekeeping association was shocked to discover
the dead bees. Pesticides killed around half a million bees in Brazil in three
months, say researchers at Bloomberg. Pesticide use has increased by 770%
between 1990 and 2016.
Of all
insects, bees are the most effective and practical method for crop pollination.
They can be reared in sufficient numbers and placed wherever and whenever they
are required for effective pollination. It has been found that the use of hive
bees results in a manifold increase in yields and improvement in the quality of
produce.
Agriculture
is the mainstay of the Brazilian economy, almost 18% of it. The group that
controls agriculture is the most powerful and influential in the country and
controls everything from culture to politics. The present president was elected
with their support and has kept his promise to make this their government. This
has, in turn, given them blanket permission to spray any amount of chemicals
for higher production.
Brazil has
seen a 150% increase of insecticide use between 2000 and 2015 against a
minuscule increase of 8.1% expansion of the agricultural area.
Greenpeace
says that 40% of the pesticides that Brazil dumps on its fields are “highly or
extremely highly toxic,” and much of them would never be allowed into the
European Union. Since Bolsonaro took office there have been “constant attacks
against our people, Mother Earth, and food sovereignty.” Sonia Guajajara, the
activist, and leader of Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil told
Unearthed. They represent over 300 indigenous groups in the country.
It is
outrageous that the Brazilian government allows these foreign companies to dump
fertilizers that are banned in most countries. The death of 500 million bees
endangers the food security of Brazil warns the United Nations Food And
Agriculture Organization (FAO). The deaths occurred in 4 Brazilian states. 400
million bees died in Grande do Sul alone. Death spread like an epidemic.
Healthy bees were contaminated as they cleared the dead bees from the stricken
hives. They died en masse. The pesticides used allegedly contained chemicals
banned by the European Union, such as fipronil and neonicotinoids.
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