Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Save the Bees

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 10 2002 (IPS) - Bees without stingers are abundant in the Amazon. They play an important role in preserving the forests and biodiversity because they are responsible for pollinating numerous plant species. But they are quickly disappearing because the local human populations destroy their hives to extract the honey. To prevent the extinction of the stinger-less bees, Brazil's National Amazonian Research Institute (INPA) is training the inhabitants of the region in bee-keeping techniques.

Largely out of ignorance, many Brazilian beekeepers work with stinging bees – of European or African origins – shunning the 300 national species, which are as productive as any others, but with out the threat of the sting, says INPA director Warwick Kerr.