State Duma asks prosecutors to investigate mass death of Russian bees with damages estimated at a trillion rubles

Members of the State Duma’s committee on natural resources has requested that federal prosecutors investigate the mass death of bees within the Russian Federation, RIA Novosti reported. The deputies plan to ask prosecutors to determine whether excessive, uncontrolled pesticide use was responsible for the pollinators’ deaths.

The committee submitted its request following a hearing that included testimony from farmers and beekeepers from various Russian regions. During the hearing, Alfir Mannapov, the chair of the National Association of Beekeepers and Bee Product Processors, said that the damages resulting from the death of bees in Russia could exceed one trillion rubles ($15.9 billion).