This study investigates the impact of soybean farming on honeybee health in the Chaco region of Argentina, a major agricultural area. Honeybees are crucial pollinators for both natural ecosystems and crops, but they are highly sensitive to environmental changes and agricultural practices. The researchers compared the health and performance of honeybee hives placed in forests with those in linear forest fragments surrounded by soybean fields managed with conventional farming methods.
The findings revealed that hives in linear fragments surrounded with soybean showed signs of stress, such as colony collapse and fewer brood frames, but honey production and the number of adult bees were similar to those in forest hives. Interestingly, soybean pollen was rarely found in the honey or bee bread, suggesting that bees relied more on wild plants for food. The study detected five pesticides (azoxystrobin, carbendazim, chlorpyrifos, imidacloprid, and coumaphos) in hives from both forests and linear fragments, with pesticides in honey only appearing after long-term exposure to agricultural practices. Notably, only two of these pesticides were used on the studied farms, indicating that pesticide exposure can come from neighboring fields or landscape-wide agricultural practices.
The study concludes that while soybean farming affects honeybee health, maintaining forests and adopting careful pesticide management can help support bee populations, including wild bees and their resources. The researchers recommend conserving larger forest areas, improving linear forest fragments, and coordinating pesticide applications across farms to protect pollinators and ensure sustainable beekeeping in agricultural landscapes.
This research highlights the importance of agricultural practices for the conservation of pollinators, which are vital for food security and biodiversity.The number of frames with brood remained the same in hives located in the forest (left) but decreased in linear fragments within the crop (right)
