“The deadly natural disaster that recently hit Thessaly caused incalculable damage to the entire agricultural production of the region. The beekeeping industry was not unaffected. From the first cross-referenced data, the losses amount to 45 thousand bees.” These, among other things, he emphasizes in the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, o Alexandros Papachristoforouassistant professor of Applied Apiculture in the Department of Animal Production Science at the University of Thessaly, as a first assessment of the effects of bad weather Daniel and on beekeeping.

However, it is estimated, according to him, that the total number will exceed 60 thousand, without ruling out that it will reach or even exceed 80 thousand dead bees, to explain:

“It is worth noting that not only the beehives of the local beekeepers were destroyed, but also those of their colleagues from other regions of the country, who had transferred them to the prefectures of Thessaly either for development before the honey secretions of the pine forests or for collecting honey from the local bee farms. The damages are multidimensional extending to the loss of the upcoming production of autumn honey and the weakening of the surviving bees due to a complete lack of food in the flooded areas. These bees are at risk of decimation in the coming winter. In addition to the above, the loss of billions of bees dramatically reduces the “pollination potential” in the region, which will have a negative impact on food production, biodiversity and the natural environment of Thessaly.”

The assistant professor of Applied Beekeeping at the Department of Animal Production Science of the University of Thessaly also refers to instructions to the affected beekeepers.

As soon as conditions permit, he emphasizes, affected beekeepers should take measures to limit the consequences of flooding:

– They should immediately destroy (preferably by burning) the honeycombs from the suffocated bees. Storage and possible future use is not allowed! The stay of the combs in contact with the unclean and polluted waters has irreparably burdened the wax with substances and microbial load which poses risks for the development of new bees in them.

– Honey and pollen found in honeycombs of dead bees must also be destroyed immediately. Possible use for feeding rescued bees also infects healthy bees.

– The destruction of combs and food reserves by the dead bees must be immediate to avoid the risk of predation by the remaining bees.

– The hives can be reused if thoroughly washed and disinfected after drying. It is recommended to use a fluistor for additional disinfection.

– It is imperative, where possible, to transfer rescued bees to autumn heather and polycombus blooms to regenerate the populations.

– If transporting the bees is impossible, it is advisable to apply feeding, both with sugars and with protein food (pollen cakes, pollen substitutes).

The competent authorities should immediately support the compensation and support of the beekeepers. Some extraordinary measures proposed, according to him, are the bypassing of the obligation to declare the losses in the electronic register (so as not to lose the possibility of the next year’s subsidy), the non-burdening by ELGA of the inspection (with the amount of 2 euros per hive) and the eventual subsidy of the production and distribution of Greek bee food to the affected. Due to the very low amount of compensation per bee, it would be good to provide for compensation from the total loss of honey production. Inspections should be immediate and not delayed to reduce the risk of contamination of other bees. Beekeeping must be supported by the state as in turn, it will be able to support the regeneration of nature in Thessaly, through pollination, as he underlines.

To conclude by emphasizing:

“Within the next 10 days, the Department of Animal Production Science of the University of Thessaly will invite affected beekeepers and relevant agencies to an open discussion at its facilities. Through his scientific staff, he will voluntarily contribute to every effort to support beekeeping and animal production in Thessaly, as a whole.”