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# Bees Dying in Brazil
- URL: https://www.thejanusobserver.com/bees-dying-in-brazil/
- Published: 2019-08-20T12:00:40.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T19:54:59.000Z
- Author: Jonathan Janus
- Tags: Uncategorized, Agriculture, Bees, Brazil, Pesticides, #Migrated-1792957904788, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-25 19:52

[Bloomberg - Bees Are Dropping Dead in Brazil and Sending a Message to Humans - Bruce Douglas and Tatiana Freitas 8/19/19](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-19/bees-are-dropping-dead-in-brazil-and-sending-a-message-to-humans?cmpid=BBD081919%5FCUS&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fterm=190819&utm%5Fcampaign=closeamericas)

*Around half a billion bees died in four of Brazil’s southern states in the year’s first months. The die-off highlighted questions about the ocean of pesticides used in the country’s agriculture and whether chemicals are washing through the human food supply — even as the government considers permitting more. Most dead bees showed traces of Fipronil, an insecticide proscribed in the European Union and classified as a possible human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.*

*Since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January, Brazil has permitted sales of a record 290 pesticides, up 27% over the same period last year, and a bill in Congress would relax standards even further.*

*The fertile nation is awash in chemicals. Brazil’s pesticide use increased 770% from 1990 to 2016, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.* 

*Still, in its latest food-safety report, Brazil’s health watchdog Anvisa found that 20% of samples contained pesticide residues above permitted levels or contained unauthorized pesticides. It didn’t even test for glyphosate, Brazil’s best-selling pesticide, which is banned in most countries.*

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/df/b1/dfb1dfbb-f8fb-4ec3-bf5b-87cf7344bdd1/content/images/2026/10/2019-08-19_bloomberg_brazil-pesticide-approvals.png)