Possíveis efeitos da proximidade de lavouras de soja na produtividade de apiários

Abstract

With the increase in soybean crops in the last 50 years, there was also an increase in the use of pesticides. Annual consumption is approximately 300 thousand tons, which can cause several direct and indirect impacts on the environment, being especially problematic for bee hives, which in addition to direct contamination causing immediate death, also interfere with maintenance, reproduction and production honey. This situation, until the 2000s, was not associated with the use of pesticides, but due to natural causes such as lack of food due to droughts or intense rains, aging of the queen, predators, among others. From then onwards, the death of the swarms began to be reported due to the direct contamination of the entire hive by insecticides and pesticides. More recently, local producers have reported loss of hives and reduced honey production associated with the insertion of soybean crops in the region. Thus, the objective of the present work was to verify the effect of the proximity of soybean crops on the production and survival of bees in apiaries in Caçapava do Sul - RS. The locations of the hives as well as the crops and their respective distances were mapped, the number of hives that survived throughout the study, which was carried out in an entire harvest, was quantified, with data from the beginning to the end of both harvests (honey and soybeans). The results showed a strong relationship between the distance of soybean production and the increase in the hive collapse in a group of apiaries, but for two other locations this relationship was not observed. This phenomenon may be related to the topographic conditions and also the adequacy and improved management, aiming to avoid the contact of bees with soybeans, thus not occurring great losses, even in close proximity. Finally, it was possible to note that the proximity in the study according to the collected data suggests a possible relationship between the increase in agricultural activities and the reduction in productivity and survival in apiaries. The results are important indicatives, however larger studies are needed to demonstrate a greater degree of probability with the relationship indicated here.