Suspected Case Of Pesticide Poisoning Left Fifty Million Bees Dead In Croatia
In recent years, the bribe to save bees has intensified further. While climate change was rapidly worsening earlier, the pandemic has caused, at least a partial, slowing down of pollution. This was positive news until another news from Croatia popped up last month. In yet another blow to the climate, suspected pesticide poisoning has fifty million bees dead in Croatia.
The government declared a natural disaster after the northern region of Medzimurje discovered an unusual death streak in bees. Several scientists and inspectors are suspecting the cause to be mass pesticide poisoning. Although it doesn’t seem to a natural disaster, by claiming it to be such, the government can handle agricultural impoverishment as well.
Local beekeepers expressed shock and disappointment after they found swarms of bees dead on 9th June. Many local media sources have reported varying numbers of distorted hives. Some say 600, while the rest claim it to be 1,150. Nevertheless, the estimation comes up to at least fifty million bees dead.
Croatia is rich in honey bees with around 10,000 local beekeepers. There are at least 500,000 honey bee hives, and it produces around 8,000 tons of honey per year. But due to this unfortunate event, many beekeepers are bound to face heavy losses. As per Zeljko Vrbos, a member of the Croatian Beekeeping Association, at least one-third of the local beekeepers have lost all their bees due to the mass pesticide poisoning.