Across the country, bees are dying out on a massive scale — the problem remains unsolved.

The extinction of bees and various insects, as well as animals and birds poisoned by agricultural chemicals, continues. For several years in a row, animals have been dying in different regions of Russia. The situation does not change at all! I know that under public pressure, new legislative measures are being introduced to tighten the regulation of pesticide use in agriculture. However, the heavy bureaucratic system is too slow, and the issues that must be addressed URGENTLY are stretched over many years.

Meanwhile, animals continue to die on a massive scale. Due to the use of poisons in agriculture, all species within local ecosystems are dying one after another.

Today I want to raise the issue of bee deaths — what is happening with them right now. Below is a brief chronology of events in Russia.

Let’s go step by step. Starting with the situation in the regions!

“Thousands of bees are dying in Cherdakly,” — reports Misanec.RU on July 27, 2024. Journalists quote a local resident:

“— It all began on July 15,” says Oleg Solovyov. “In each hive, I lost about 70–80% of my bees. And they’re still dying. It’s unclear if the remaining ones will survive the winter. I’ve been a beekeeper since 1998 — this is my way of life. And the older generation has been keeping bees since Soviet times. Can you imagine what a blow this is for them?”

Beekeepers also report that out of 100 apiaries, bee die-offs are observed in every single one.

Another publication, Panorama (August 13, 2024), released an article titled “In the Rostov region, bees committed suicide.” In July, locals lost millions of bees! People said the bees returned from the fields sluggish, barely moving, and a few hours later — they died. All of them.

Locals contacted the authorities, who conducted an investigation — and found nothing! Earlier, in the same region, 253 bee colonies had already died, and the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the cause was pesticide spraying. The symptoms were identical.

Similar news comes from every corner of the country and drowns in public indifference. Unfortunately.

Around the same time, state inspections of honey on store shelves revealed that almost all honey on the market was fake — there is practically no genuine honey left!

This is confirmed by experts. Moskovsky Komsomolets recently published an interview with Valery Kapunin, Chairman of the Russian Beekeepers Union, who said:

“Officially, they recognize about 50% counterfeit, but according to our estimates, it’s already over 70%.”

I share this because I receive many angry letters saying things like, ‘Your data is false — store shelves are full of honey!’

On August 1, Roskachestvo published results of its inspection of factory honey in major retail chains across several regions. Out of 16 brands tested, NOT A SINGLE ONE was genuine — none met the quality standards.

Let’s continue.

Vesti Voronezh published an article titled “Poison in Food: How and Why Pesticides End Up in the Products of Voronezh Residents.”

The regional head of Rosselkhoznadzor, Tatyana Ausheva, stated that 30% of pesticide use in Russian agriculture is COUNTERFEIT.

In reality, this number should be even higher — as official statistics are often manipulated depending on what benefits those in power.

Authorities claim they’ve created an excellent system called “Saturn.” Farmers are supposed to enter data online about which pesticides they use. The system is only two years old, and officials insist that “almost no one violates the law.”

In my opinion, this system is completely ineffective. Government inspectors must conduct PHYSICAL field checks — not rely on the self-reported data of businesses. Any statistics based on the words of the very companies using these poisons are meaningless.

Here are more headlines about bee deaths to illustrate the scale of the catastrophe — all from just the past few weeks.

“Experts explained the mass death of bees in the Tver region,” reports the National Agrarian Agency.

“In the Oryol region, a commission was created to investigate bee deaths,” writes OrelTimes. “A meeting on bee deaths,” — reports Avangard newspaper in Chuvashia: on August 9, a session was held with Rosselkhoznadzor specialists from Chuvashia and the Ulyanovsk region.

Another headline read: “Mass bee deaths recorded this summer in six regions of Russia.” The affected regions: Altai Territory, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Tula, Krasnodar, and Karachay-Cherkessia. In all cases, pesticides were found in the bodies of dead bees, including **fipronil**, also detected in grain, wheat, sunflower, and rapeseed samples.

THIS IS WHAT WE ARE EATING!

For humans, this poison is extremely dangerous. Food safety expert and Rosselkhoznadzor adviser Alexey Alekseenko explained in an Argumenty i Fakty interview (2017):

“It blocks an important neurotransmitter (GABA) in the nervous system, disrupting neural signals. It’s toxic to the liver and kidneys. U.S. studies on animals showed it can cause thyroid cancer... Chicken manure containing fipronil is used as fertilizer, contaminating crops, water, and fish — for which it is extremely toxic.”

That’s the reality.

Krymskaya Gazeta wrote “How many Crimean beekeepers received state grants,” quoting Nikolay Klochko:

“This dry year was difficult not only for farmers but also for beekeepers. Honey yields are lower than last year. Bees often get sick; new diseases appear, and no one knows how to fight them.”

He added that the use of agricultural poisons is also causing bee deaths. Farmers spray crops during blooming, though this used to be forbidden — now regulations allow it.”

As you can see, the situation is severe: pesticide use combines with drought, heat, and emerging diseases.

PenzaInform reported on July 28, 2024: “Mass bee deaths investigated in the Serdobsky district.” Krasnoyarsky Rabochy: “After pesticide spraying, locals complained about mass bee deaths.” AltaiPress: “In the Altai region, bees continue to die after field treatment — reports came from 12 municipalities.” Argumenty i Fakty: “Flower of Death — Why Bees Died En Masse in the Don Region.”

The newsfeeds are full of such reports — yet search engines ignore them. Politics and social issues dominate, while environmental catastrophes are treated as irrelevant.

The situation is terrifying!

I emphasize two main points:

1. The extinction of bees continues. Beekeepers unanimously link it to dangerous agricultural chemicals. Added to that are climate change (drought, heat, water depletion) and new bee diseases. The die-offs we see are only the visible, commercial part — but if bees are dying, it means other insects are too, triggering cascading ecological collapse.
2. The situation is not improving. Officials themselves admit large-scale honey falsification, weak control, and illegal pesticide use — more like collusion between bureaucrats and corporations than real solutions.

Bee extinction is a **critical indicator** of ecological collapse. Scientists estimate that **75% of global agriculture depends on bees** for pollination. By using chemicals “to fight pests,” humanity is eradicating pollinators — and each year, dependence on poisons only grows.

This leads to increased chemical production, higher food prices, falling yields, and food shortages. The loss of pollinators will cause mass crop failures.

But these are only “human problems.” The ecological consequences are far worse: without pollination, wild plants will vanish, food chains will collapse, and biodiversity will be lost — leading to mass extinction among animals that depend on them.

THE DEATH OF BEES THREATENS GLOBAL FOOD AND ECOLOGICAL SECURITY. THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE IRREVERSIBLE AND DEVASTATING.

But ask yourself: does anyone truly hear us? Amid political and social collapse — is there still room for common sense?

I receive many letters — angry ones — claiming bees aren’t dying and there’s no problem. Society is sinking into total denial, even as catastrophe unfolds before our eyes.

Allies! You can help right now: share this material, tell people what’s happening. Let as many as possible know the truth.

Maybe this way — something will finally change.

© PAVEL PASHKOV