Dry Conditions, Poisons Killing Chile's Bees
2022-02-28
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1The South American nation of Chile has been experiencing a severe drought for the last 13 years.
2This extreme lack of water has led to fewer flowers and, as a result, fewer honeybees.
3Poisonous chemicals used to kill insects harmful to crops, called pesticides, also hurt bees.
4Beekeepers in Chile are concerned.
5Carlos Peralta and his brother Marco are beekeepers.
6In the central Chilean town of Colina, Carlos has seen the number of his honeybees decrease sharply.
7He said he has lost about 300 hives since the start of November 2021.
8A hive can hold tens of thousands of bees.
9Losing so many bees left Peralta with a difficult choice.
10He could keep his remaining 900 hives alive with manufactured nectar, or he could move the hives to a place where there are more flowers.
11"If the bees die, we all die...The bee is life," Carlos said.
12He was describing the important job that bees have: to pollinate plants in the wild and for food growers.
13As a major exporter of fruit, successful pollination of fruit trees is important for Chile.
14So Carlos decided to move his beehives about 1,000 kilometers to the south, to a place called Puerto Montt.
15However, his brother Marco chose to stay in Colina with his bees rather than join Carlos in the south.
16Marco said he feared losing bees to pesticides if he moved.
17A expert on biodiversity for Latin America in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (or FAO) is Andrés González.
18He identified four problems that are reducing populations of pollinating insects:
19These problems, in addition to parasites, have hurt bee populations around the world.
20An FAO study in 2018 found that Chile's imports of pesticides had grown by 460 percent over the previous 20 years.
21Beekeepers blame this increase for their losses.
22Chile's honey exports have dropped over the past four to five years.
23Carlos Peralta said, "You enter an orchard with your bees and you don't know if you'll come out with living bees or dead ones.
24His brother Marco has been feeding his bees with sugary water and other nutrients.
25However, this substitute for nectar leaves the bees unable to produce honey.
26"The bees grow weak (with sugar water)...," said Mario Flores.
27He is a beekeeper in the southern town of Temuco.
28Teresa Sarmiento is president of a beekeepers association in Colina.
29She compared feeding bees sugar water to "giving a sweet to a hungry child."
30Before the drought, beekeepers would use the substitute food during the winter months.
31But now they use it almost all year.
32González of the FAO said the substitute food lacks protein the bees need to develop their bodies and nervous systems.
33It also leaves them at more risk of disease.
34I'm Anna Matteo.
1The South American nation of Chile has been experiencing a severe drought for the last 13 years. This extreme lack of water has led to fewer flowers and, as a result, fewer honeybees. 2Poisonous chemicals used to kill insects harmful to crops, called pesticides, also hurt bees. 3Beekeepers in Chile are concerned. Carlos Peralta and his brother Marco are beekeepers. In the central Chilean town of Colina, Carlos has seen the number of his honeybees decrease sharply. 4He said he has lost about 300 hives since the start of November 2021. A hive can hold tens of thousands of bees. Losing so many bees left Peralta with a difficult choice. He could keep his remaining 900 hives alive with manufactured nectar, or he could move the hives to a place where there are more flowers. 5"If the bees die, we all die...The bee is life," Carlos said. He was describing the important job that bees have: to pollinate plants in the wild and for food growers. As a major exporter of fruit, successful pollination of fruit trees is important for Chile. 6So Carlos decided to move his beehives about 1,000 kilometers to the south, to a place called Puerto Montt. However, his brother Marco chose to stay in Colina with his bees rather than join Carlos in the south. Marco said he feared losing bees to pesticides if he moved. 7A expert on biodiversity for Latin America in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (or FAO) is Andrés González. 8He identified four problems that are reducing populations of pollinating insects: 9These problems, in addition to parasites, have hurt bee populations around the world. 10An FAO study in 2018 found that Chile's imports of pesticides had grown by 460 percent over the previous 20 years. Beekeepers blame this increase for their losses. Chile's honey exports have dropped over the past four to five years. 11Carlos Peralta said, "You enter an orchard with your bees and you don't know if you'll come out with living bees or dead ones. 12His brother Marco has been feeding his bees with sugary water and other nutrients. However, this substitute for nectar leaves the bees unable to produce honey. 13"The bees grow weak (with sugar water)...," said Mario Flores. He is a beekeeper in the southern town of Temuco. 14Teresa Sarmiento is president of a beekeepers association in Colina. She compared feeding bees sugar water to "giving a sweet to a hungry child." 15Before the drought, beekeepers would use the substitute food during the winter months. But now they use it almost all year. 16González of the FAO said the substitute food lacks protein the bees need to develop their bodies and nervous systems. It also leaves them at more risk of disease. 17I'm Anna Matteo. 18Eva Vergara reported this story for the Associated Press from Santiago, Chile. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21drought -n. an extreme lack of water in a place 22pesticide -n. a chemical that is used to kill animals or insects that damage plants or crops 23hive -n. a nest for bees 24nectar -n. a sweet liquid produced by plants and used by bees in making honey 25pollinate -v. to give a plant pollen, reproductive material, from another plant of the same kind so that seeds and fruit will be produced 26parasite -n. an animal or plant that lives in or on another animal or plant and gets food or protection from it 27orchard -n. a farm where people grow fruit trees 28biodiversity -n. the existence of many different kinds of plants and animals in an environment