Beekeepers sound the alarm

Aggressive bumblebees endanger honey production

Aggressive bumblebees are causing problems for the Italian bee population.(Bild: AFP)

Italy's beekeepers are sounding the alarm: it is not the already unpopular wasps that are causing problems for the bee population, but the bumblebees, which are considered to be rather cozy.

The Italian beekeeping sector is under threat from aggressive bumblebees, which are also on the increase due to climate change and the resulting changes to the animals' habitat. Riccardo Terriaca, spokesman for Italian beekeepers, complained that honey production, especially in central and southern Italy, is threatened by bumblebees - as it is by wasps.

Bees attacked in flight
"The bees are attacked by bumblebees in flight and tend to fly less as a self-defense reaction, which reduces foraging activity and the supply of nutrients for the family in the hive, which is then weakened," Terriaca emphasized, according to media reports.

"In extreme cases, bumblebees invade the nests, take over the hive and take possession of it," explained Terriaca. The number of hives under attack is increasing. Italian beekeepers are currently helpless in the face of the problem.

"Need selective control methods"
"We are asking for the help of research and institutions to find sustainable and selective control methods. We therefore need agents that can attack the bumblebees without harming the bees," says Terriaca.

In the first four months of 2024, imports of honey from abroad increased by eleven percent in Italy, with inferior goods being bought at low prices and then sold as local honey. According to the Coldiretti agricultural association, around half a kilo of honey is consumed per person per year in Italy, which is below the European average of 600 grams.