Greenpeace warns Greek bees at risk due to ‘toxic cocktail’

A new study by the environmental protection group Greenpeace has shown that the pollen collected by European bees contains up to 17 different pesticides, with checks on 10 pollen samples from beehives in Greece revealing seven of the chemicals.

The findings prompted the organization’s Athens office to appeal to Agriculture Minister Athanasios Tsaftaris to draw up an action plan for the protection of bees, whose numbers have dwindled drastically over the past 20 years.

Natalia Tsigaridou, of the Greek Greenpeace office, expressed concern about the “toxic cocktail” to which bees are being exposed and highlighted the importance of “a shift to sustainable agriculture.”