On June 9, millions of dead bees were seen blanketing the ground in an area between Podturn and Gardinovac, near the border with Hungary, leaving beekeepers shocked and devastated. 20 beekeepers reportedly lost about 600 hives, which is around 50 million bees. Pesticide poisoning is suspected to be the cause of the ecological disaster, although it has not been confirmed yet.
"It is probably insecticide poisoning," said Ana Pepelko, a beekeeper from Gardinovac. "We'll know whether this is the result of spraying potatoes or rapeseed after the analysis." Željko Trupković from the Association of Beekeepers of the Međimurje County called the incident disastrous.
Dražen Jerman, the president of the Pčelinjak association (the hive association), noted that this was not the first case of bee poisoning in the area. A few years ago, Jerman said his association staged a protest against pesticide use in front of the Association of Beekeepers. -Full Report
