In the second half of January 2026, Croatian beekeepers were pleased to learn that the European Beekeepers' Association (EBA) had requested that the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee should open a special debate on the state of European beekeeping, which is facing strong economic, environmental and market pressures.The EBA brings together 61 beekeeping organizations and more than 420,000 beekeepers from 32 European countries. Four essential key topics were proposed for discussion: the problem of counterfeit adulterated honey on the European market; the introduction of support per bee colony for all beekeepers; the use of plant protection products (phytosanitary products) and their negative impact on beekeeping; and the harmful consequences of the EU-Mercosur agreement for European beekeepers.
In Croatia we have suffered ecological disasters such as in Međimurje, when more than 50 million bees died in 2020, and then again in 2022 with 17.5 million bees poisoned. Mass deaths of these small invaluable workers were also recorded in Eastern Slavonia in 2023 and 2025: the areas around Vukovar and the surrounding area were particularly badly affected due to intensive agricultural production practices. The mass bee deaths were reputedly caused by the inexpert use of banned pesticides. In Podravina, and even in parts of Dalmatia, bee losses have been attributed to unregulated spraying of orchards and the use of illegal pesticides. These irresponsible agricultural practices can lead directly to bee mortality, or can cause sublethal effects, including disorientation, behavioural disorders, reduced reproduction, weakened immunity, and even contamination of bee products. All this happens despite the safeguards arising from legal and regulatory acts, which especially refer to timely notification of beekeepers of the intention to apply pesticides, while prohibiting the use of chemical substances dangerous to bees during flowering of agricultural crops or wild plants alike, and allowing pesticide applications exclusively at times when bees are not active (usually late in the evening or early in the morning).
Sad to say, the State ultimately pays the price for such irresponsible behaviour. so the burden falls on all tax-payers. In 2025 the Croatian Government provided 100,000 euros through the Ministry of Agriculture in support of beekeepers affected by mass bee losses. But there is an important factor which is not highlighted sufficiently. There is little awareness of the impact of the highly toxic insecticides which are sprayed en masse every summer in insect suppression campaigns against potentially disease-spreading mosquitoes. The 'Eco Hvar' Association warns that such actions are inefficient and harmful, and are being carried out contrary to regulations; far from preventing diseases, they endanger the health of people, other living organisms, and of course bees.
'Eco Hvar' President Vivian Grisogono (MA(Oxon) describes the main problems arising from the compulsory national insect suppression programme: "From our experience on Hvar Island over many years, I have to say that warnings to beekeepers are and have always been inadequate, because there is no system for warning them specifically. Insecticides, which are by definition potentially dangerous to all pollinators, are frequently used during spring and summer when most plants are in bloom. Yet the dangers to bees and non-target organisms are not included in the primary warnings on pesticides in the European Union. Pollinators do not have their own pictogram. They are only mentioned in the subcategory marked Spe, while the Spe8 label refers to bees and other pollinators, where it is advised that the product should not be used while plants, including weeds, are in bloom. Such a warning should be on the label of all products dangerous to pollinators, but most often in practice this is not the case, causing much obvious damage as a result."
Croatia's oldest beekeeper, Anka Županović (92) from Poljice on Hvar has provided first-hand confirmation that bee populations are indeed in decline where chemical pesticides, especially insecticides, are used. She has complained to us that her environment has long been hit by the 'white plague', which is why the almonds have withered, the lavender has disappeared, pine trees have taken over everything, and even such land as is cultivated is no longer fertilized as before, poisons of various kinds are used... All this is in fact a move towards materialism and human ruin, to which we should add the increasingly extreme climate changes. Anka also considers the insect suppression programme to be very dangerous for bees, so we then asked Vivian Grisogono what actually needs to be done to make things better for all of us?
"From everything that has been said, it is clear that the current practice of controlling insects with poisons should be stopped as a matter of urgency, and the relevant institutions must seek more acceptable, ecological ways to protect public health. The priorities are: to stop the harmful practice of spraying dangerous poisons on people and the environment; to use natural resources and to identify, promote and use better, more environmentally friendly methods for controlling unwanted 'pests', especially by restoring and encouraging their natural predators such as bats and beeeaters; to develop the 'Sterile Insect' ('SIT') programme in Croatia, which is a potentially effective method for reducing the number of unwanted mosquitoes this sterile mosquito programme is already being used in some areas and showing promising results" concluded this prominent Croatian ecologist, noting that in addition, there is certainly a need for broader and more frequent education of people about preventing nuisance caused by mosquitoes, while also highlighting the beneficial role of mosquitoes in the natural chain, e.g. as pollinators.
