Bees are endangered, what is happening in EU countries

For some time now, Ispra has been carrying out a study highlighting the health status of bees. The data on deaths from 2015 to 2023 "presumably indicate an often improper use of plant protection products, as the bees themselves or the bee matrices reveal the presence of one or more active ingredients more or less constantly in all these years". Not only: 'In 2023, as in previous years, pyrethroids were among the active ingredients most commonly found in samples, widely used in agriculture as well as for disinfestations against mosquitoes and other nuisance insects,' writes Ispra. 'On average, this family of chemical compounds is highly toxic to pollinating insects, including bees, as well as very toxic to humans. In 2023, as in the nine previous years, the months with the highest number of reported deaths were May and April, coinciding with spring flowering. During these periods, it is forbidden to carry out phytosanitary treatments because bees carry out an intense foraging activity that makes them more vulnerable to the presence of widespread pollutants in the environment and on flowers, in particular to phytosanitary products used in agricultural areas'.

Despite the seriousness of the picture, not all seems to be lost and, according to the researcher, there is still hope. Not least because, for some time now, various initiatives have been carried out precisely to 'ensure that there is a turnaround'.

"We have a window to solve the problem," Ciccarese argues. "If you look at the causes of climate change, they are the same ones that give rise to biodiversity. Then there are other measures that can be taken on the ground. "Those that aim to avoid mowing around cities and in the interior are good,' he adds. Here communities can do a lot'. Another element also concerns the countryside: 'One of the initiatives is to preserve natural islands,' adds the researcher, 'i.e. to leave spaces untilled so that bees and pollinators can have their space.

A few things are also being carried out in cities. Among many there is Apicincittà, 'a survey to monitor bees and flora of beekeeping interest', or the Vebs project on 'good use of green and blue spaces'. No less important are other initiatives, promoted both by non-profit associations and by some companies proposing the adoption of a beehive.

Against this backdrop, however, there is a drop in honey production, albeit by a small amount. In 2024, production fell by 1% to 21.857 thousand tonnes. This figure is provided by the Coldiretti Observatory analysis on the basis of data from the National Honey Observatory, which however shows strong differences at a territorial level with increases reaching +74% in Emilia Romagna and collapses reaching up to -62% in Molise. The largest contributors to the national harvest were, in order, Piedmont with 3215 tonnes, Emilia Romagna with 2251 tonnes, Tuscany with 2189 tonnes, Calabria with 2153 tonnes, Lombardy with 1946 tonnes and Campania with 1593 tonnes. There are 56887 beekeepers engaged in family farms with 278732 hives, alongside 20157 professionals with 1292248 hives. The market situation in the sector remains heavy, due to the high level of imports that negatively affect sales.

Francesco Giardina, head of the beekeeping sector for Coldiretti, points to the market, because 'in some countries sugar is allowed'. "Just go and see what happens on supermarket shelves," he says, "honey that comes from outside has lower costs and creates a problem for product positioning. Attention is also paid to the problem of climate change. "Too much heat, followed by rapid cold days," he adds, "only confuses the bees, as well as, in extreme cases, causing them to die."

The beekeeping situation in the Czech Republic has become increasingly problematic in recent years. After a slight growth in 2021-2022, with more than 65,000 registered beekeepers and a peak of 715,462 bee colonies, 2023 marked a sharp reversal: the number of beekeepers dropped to 63,344 and the number of colonies to 669,445. A widespread die-off at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, affecting an average of 40 per cent of hives nationwide, was responsible for the decline.

According to the Czech Ministry of Agriculture, the main causes of this loss are serious diseases such as varroasis (caused by the Varroa destructor mite), bacterial diseases such as kelp plague and brood rot, which is particularly virulent in some areas. The phenomenon worsened further in the following winter (2024/2025): according to data from the European COLOSS project, more than a quarter of the hives did not survive the cold season, marking the worst loss recorded in the last 12 years. "At the beginning of September 2024, 644,847 hives were registered. With the observed mortality rates, more than 160,000 colonies did not make it through the winter," said Jiří Danihlík, researcher at the Faculty of Science at Palacký University in Olomouc.

Scientists point to several concauses for the crisis: a wet winter followed by an unusually warm spring favoured the spread of mites, rendering many treatments ineffective. An abnormal and abundant production of honeydew honey (melezitose) in July 2023 also complicated the situation. This type of honey, which is very dense and difficult to remove from the combs, hindered the proper management of the hives, limiting the possibilities of varroasis control precisely at the most critical moment.

Economically, the sector is showing signs of distress. Average honey production per hive increased slightly in 2022, to 10.8 kg per colony, but remains far from the levels recorded in the previous decade. In 2023, exports were modest: just 757 tonnes, mostly destined for EU countries, with Slovakia as the main market. In contrast, imports reached 3,857 tonnes, mainly from Ukraine, Slovakia, Germany, Spain and Poland. China, often mentioned as a major exporter to Europe, played a secondary role here.

But the honey crisis is not only explained by disease and climate. There is also a structural problem, linked to the configuration of the territory and the excessive concentration of hives. The Czech Republic is, in fact, among the European countries with the highest bee density: 9.1 colonies per square kilometre, against an EU average of 2.5. This overcrowding causes intense competition for floral resources, which in some parts of the country are insufficient to guarantee nourishment for all colonies. The scarcity of forage contributes to weakening the bees, making them more vulnerable to disease.

Agricultural structure also plays a key role. Cultivated fields in the Czech Republic have an average size of over 120 hectares per farm, well above the European average (19.1 hectares). This extensive farming model, dominated by large farms, reduces floristic diversity, limits the refuge areas for pollinators and increases exposure to pesticides. The intensive use of pesticides, already identified by many studies as one of the main factors in the decline of bees, finds here an ideal context for widespread effects. According to several Czech experts, a greater spread of smaller farms, combined with more fragmented and natural land management, would not only help to improve biodiversity, but also to counteract the death of pollinators.

In this scenario, the Czech Republic is an emblematic case of the challenges facing European beekeeping: climate change acts as a multiplier of already existing problems, while the production and territorial structure hinders an effective response. A transition towards more sustainable agricultural models, together with more capillary prevention and health monitoring strategies, seems to be the only way to protect the future of bees - and with them, that of the ecosystem.

*This article is part of the European collaborative journalism project "Pulse".