BEEKEEPERS in the Valencia region will get an €1.8 million boost to help increase the bee population and to fight off varroosis disease.
Varroa mites pose a major threat to bees throughout the world and can wipe out whole colonies.
Over 200 regional beekeepers are expected to qualify for aid from the Agriculture Ministry which has gone up by 16.5% on last year’s budget.
The money will allow them to make investments to combat varroosis, repopulating hives, and to raise customer awareness about honey and other products produced by bees.
At least 45% of Europe’s bumblebees are in population decline- not just to varroosis- but due to habitat fragmentation and the loss of foraging plants.
Bees are at risk of extinction largely due to human activities: large-scale changes in land use, industrialised farming practices, and the detrimental use of pesticides which have destroyed their habitats and cut their available food sources.
Globalisation has also facilitated the transmission of parasites and other invasive species that prey on bees, like the Asian hornet, which can decimate entire hives in hours.
Global warming also plays a large role in the endangerment of the bee population.
Rising temperatures, increased flooding, droughts and changes in blooming seasons of flowering plants all affect the bees’ ecosystems, reducing their suitability to the environment and threatening their survival.
