Bees, already threatened in France by intensive agriculture or the Asian hornet, are also suffering enormously from climate change, warns the National Union of French Beekeeping (Unaf), before three days in June devoted to these pollinating insects, allies essential for agriculture.
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“Beyond the threats that have weighed on beekeeping for years – impact of pesticides, monoculture, disappearance of hedges, Asian hornet, varroa (a parasite) – we have another challenge, that of climate change.“, explained to AFP Henri Clément, beekeeper and spokesperson for Unaf.
The mortality rate in the hivesis on average around 30% per year, it’s colossal“, he recalls. “Beekeepers, to maintain their livestock, are forced to replenish them with extra work and extra cost.“, he continues. Without this work,we would already be short of bees on the territory“, warns the beekeeper, while they assure”35% of our food resourcesby pollination.
Fire, hail, flood
With the impact of climate change, he believes that harvests are increasingly irregular, complicating “enormously» the life of professional beekeepers. The hives can suffer from fires, hail, floods, emphasizes Henri Clément. 2021 “was the worst year for French beekeeping», with less than 10,000 tonnes produced. 2022 has started well in most regions thanks to a mild winter, says Henri Clément, but “we are extremely worried with the coming drought»: plants, if they suffer, do not produce nectar.
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Beekeepers with more than 50 hives can benefit from the agricultural calamity device. However, 90% of farmers have less than 10 hives. The days “Apidays», annual national meeting, will be held this year from June 23 to 25, with around sixty free events and activities planned across France.
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