Rapeseed boom in Bashkiria leaves bees dying

Mass bee deaths are being recorded across Russia. TASS reports that in the Argayash district of Chelyabinsk region, over five million bees died, and in Krasnoyarsk Krai, around 30 million, with 23 farmers filing complaints and the prosecutor«s office launching an investigation. While southern parasites were once the main problem, no infectious diseases have been found in the bees now. The leading theory is pesticide treatment of fields.

In Bashkortostan, the situation seems calmer—Ramil Magdanov, chairman of the regional public organization «Beekeepers of Bashkiria,» previously noted that agreements with farmers are being reached. However, it turns out not everything is as smooth as it seems.

We spoke with an agronomist and a beekeeper from the Ilishovsky district, where rapeseed is actively cultivated.

Agronomist«s view: Beekeepers themselves provoke conflicts

Ramil Nabiyev works as an agronomist at the «Urozhay» Breeding Farm LLC in the Ilishovsky district.

«Rapeseed occupies about 20% of our total sown area,» he says.

According to him, there have been no complaints from beekeepers this season. He maintains contact with local apiaries to avoid conflicts. Moreover, the farm has started using new-type preparations.

«We only use contact insecticides and biological preparations. Before flowering, we apply biological preparations, and during flowering, our bees do not die—there have been no complaints. These preparations work for a long time and do not harm bees. For example, »Lepidocide« is a biological insecticide—pests eat it and die, but bees do not consume it,» the agronomist says.

There are safe biological preparations based on bacteria, fungi, or viruses that act selectively—only on pests. Their only drawback is the price—they are slightly more expensive.

«We keep in touch with beekeepers: we notify them in advance of upcoming treatments. There have been no conflicts or complaints so far. We do not treat fields during flowering. Bees are important to us: although rapeseed is a self-pollinating crop, the presence of bees increases yields,» emphasizes Ramil Nabiyev.

He adds that biological preparations are used precisely because of their safety, but if chemicals are used strictly according to regulations, they would not cause significant harm either.

«The causes of conflicts between farmers and beekeepers often lie with the beekeepers themselves: they seek profit and file lawsuits,» the agronomist believes.

Rapeseed is an oilseed crop with high demand. Its price is also favorable: wheat costs about 10 rubles ($0.12) per kilogram, while rapeseed costs 40 rubles ($0.48).

That is why, over five years, rapeseed acreage in Bashkortostan has more than quadrupled—from 30,000 hectares in 2021 to 131,000 hectares in 2026. Rapeseed now accounts for 5.1% of the total sown area.

Beekeeper«s view: The problem persists year after year

Danis Sadertdinov, chairman of the Ilishovsky district beekeepers, said the problem did exist in the district.

«In spring, in May–June, field treatments led to the death of about 160 bee colonies. The specific cause could not be determined because 32 farms treated their fields, and it is unknown which herbicide killed the bees. Rospotrebnadzor took samples, but beekeepers did not submit them for analysis because it is expensive: one analysis costs 16,000 rubles ($190), and several are needed. No one paid 150,000 rubles ($1,800),» he says.

According to the beekeeper, only after this mass die-off did the district start trying biological treatment methods.

«Personally, when I move my hives, I always stay in touch with agronomists. But we stay away from rapeseed because it is planted a lot, and it is a headache: many treatments over the summer. Now they are trying biological preparations here, seeing how it goes. This is the first year this method has been used on our collective farm,» says Danis.

The main problem is that beekeepers can do little in such situations. Bees cannot be closed up during treatment—they would suffocate and die. And there is so much rapeseed now that not all apiaries can be moved to safe locations.

«Rapeseed is planted a lot now, and not all beekeepers can move their bees, especially the elderly. Young people can, but you cannot move them far because rapeseed is sown everywhere. Rapeseed is treated against cabbage moth several times a summer. If a systemic chemical is used, the poison lasts up to 14 days, and that is deadly for bees,» he explains.

The problem, he says, is common to many regions—Altai, Siberia, and Kemerovo Oblast also suffer greatly from chemicals. In spring, the district assembly declared it would not purchase first-class hazard chemicals, but when treatments began, notifications about using first-class hazard chemicals came in everywhere.

«Assessing the damage is difficult; the problem persists year after year. For now, the only solution is personal agreements. A beekeeper must stay in touch with the agronomist, or they risk losing their bees,» Danis concludes.

In Bashkortostan, rapeseed oil is produced—about 21,000 tonnes in 2025. This oil is actively exported to Belarus and China. There are also by-products—rapeseed cake and meal—used as animal feed. Rapeseed is a profitable crop, and the authorities are clearly banking on it.

Nevertheless, bee deaths will affect both yields and biodiversity overall—as a biologist from the Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics of the Ufa Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences previously told us.

Earlier, we wrote about the issue of mass bee deaths in Bashkiria and that Ramil Magdanov, chairman of «Beekeepers of Bashkiria,» linked it to pesticide use on rapeseed fields.