Nov. 26 (UPI) -- More than 1 million bees died near Cape Town, South Africa, a disaster beekeepers are blaming on the misuse of an agricultural pesticide called Fipronil.
Brendan Ashley-Cooper, vice-president of the Western Cape bee association, said about 100 of hives had been affected and estimates between 1 million and 1.5 million of his bees have died. He said the deaths would not greatly affect the country's overall bee population, though the overall number of deaths is unknown, the BBC reported. It will have a small impact on this year's honey production.