Massive bee poisoning affects more than 3 thousand hives in Campeche

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” This census is still being updated, but from now on it can be pointed out as one of the most serious cases of bee poisoning in Mexico,” the report reads.

Recently, the Colegio de la Frontera Sur, a scientific research center in Campeche, published a preliminary report on a massive bee poisoning in the municipality of Hopelchén.

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Photo: Darkroom

And although they affirm that the complete data is not yet available, what happened is already very worrying and it could be the largest case of bee poisoning in our country.

A case of massive bee poisoning in Campeche

On the afternoon of March 22, beekeepers from the communities of Sus Tun and Oxa, in the municipality of Hopelchén, reported the discovery of millions of dying or dead bees in the apiaries. The thing is that the day before the activity had been normal.

30% of bees died in a period of 48 hours, which is commonly considered a symptom of acute poisoning. 

Until March 28, a total of 80 beekeepers in the area reported having damages. This means that 110 aviaries are affected, which are home to 3,365 bee colonies. 88% of these colonies are severely affected. 

The total number of hives that are reported as completely lost is 3,365.

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Photo: ECOSUR

And why did all those bees die? The experts, the Ejidatarios, and the beekeepers identified that the death of millions of bees was caused by the application of an insecticide in a plot that still has not been detected.

What they know, thanks to the analysis of the wind direction and other factors, is that the plot where the insecticide was applied is to the east or northeast of the affected region.

In addition to the affectations to the work of dozens of peasant families in the municipality, there is significant environmental damage because in addition to the bees of the beekeepers, there must be affected native bees

The Yucatan Peninsula is home to at least 233 species, among which is the Melipona beecheii, part of the biocultural heritage of the Mayan people. 

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Photo: Wikipedia

Just to dimension: Mexico is the third world exporter of honey and bees also carry out a fundamental task of pollination for agricultural crops. 

Adding the production of honey and the environmental service of pollination, it turns out that the economic contribution of bees, only for the municipality of Hopelchén, is 419 million Mexican pesos. This is according to figures for 2021.

In addition, 13,200 days of rural work are lost, more than 4 million pesos due to the loss of honey crops, more than 3 million due to the loss of the bee population, more than 5 million due to the loss of agricultural production due to lack of pollination, etc.

Source: SIPSE

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