Drought, pesticides take a toll on Chile's crucial honeybees
ABC News
A drought has gripped Chile for 13 years and the flowers that feed honeybees in central Chile have grown increasingly scarce
SANTIAGO, Chile -- A drought has gripped Chile for 13 years and the flowers that fed Carlos Peralta's honeybees around the central town of Colina have grown increasingly scarce.
He said he had lost about 300 hives since the start of November and was left with a choice: try to keep the 900 that remained alive with an artificial nectar or move them to a place where flowers and pollen are more abundant.
“If the bees die, we all die. ... The bee is life," he said, referring to the insects' key role in pollinating plants both wild and commercial, helping Chile maintain its role as a major fruit exporter.
So Peralta decided to move his operations some 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) to the south, to Puerto Montt.
