Ten local councils have promised beekeepers their locality’s wildflowers will not be cleared from rural areas in spring, in a bid to help halt the continuous decline of the pollinators.
Globally, the decline in pollinators has been attributed to pests, exposure to agrochemicals and habitat loss. It is believed that the extinction of bees would bring about a massive decline in the production of crops.
Some experts estimate that Malta’s bee population has declined by more than 60 per cent over the past 20 years.
Beekeepers have this year seen a further drop of the little pollinators in their hives, following lack of rainfall, resulting in less flowers on which the bees can feed.
But the main culprits of the gradual decline in the number of honey bees in the country remain urbanisation and loss of habitat where honey bees source their food.
Most agricultural land is used to grow animal feed, which honey bees are not so keen on.
The main source of food for honey bees in Malta remains wildflowers such as boar thistle, borage, white wall rocket and sow thistle and these are often cleared by farmers or local entities just when pollination is at its peak.
Environmentalists have...
