Mass died bees in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Problems

• Causes of mass death of bees in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

  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.
  
  Aldo Machado, vice president of Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul beekeeping association, told Bloomberg his colony was decimated in less than 48 hours after some of the bees first showed signs of illness.
  
  "As soon as the healthy bees began clearing the dying bees out of the hives, they became contaminated. They started dying en masse," Machado said.
  
  Lab research points to pesticides with neonicotinoids and fipronil — products banned in Europe — as the main cause of death for most bees in Brazil.
  
  The use of pesticides in Brazil has increased, according to Greenpeace, with 193 products containing chemicals banned in the EU being registered in Brazil in the last three years.
  
  Brazil has become the biggest buyer of pesticides in the world.
  The country uses pesticides because its economy is so reliant on agriculture.