European Beekeepers Alert on 'Catastrophic' Harvest
2022-10-29
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1A large European beekeeper group held its yearly meeting this week in France.
2The group said it is concerned about the effects of climate change, parasites and pesticides on both bees and the world food supply.
3The beekeepers said bees are dying in large amounts.
4They also noted that bees are not producing as much honey as in the past.
5The beekeepers said Europe only produces about 60 percent of the honey it consumes.
6Production in France, the group said, has fallen by more than 50 percent since the 1990s.
7The beekeeping group said its announcement about the bee situation in Europe gives beekeepers and scientists a chance to react to climate concerns.
8The spokesperson for the National Union of French Beekeepers is Henri Clement.
9He is a beekeeper from southeastern France.
10He said he has been working as a beekeeper and trying to keep bees healthy for 30 years.
11However, if he had to consider a career for himself today, he said, he might not want to raise bees.
12He is close to retirement and wonders if young people will take up the work.
13The people at the event were all talking about chemicals known as pesticides, which hurt bees.
14They also discussed climate change and invasive insects and parasites that kill bees and harm beehives.
15Jeff Pettis is an insect expert based in the United States.
16He is also president of Apimondia, a group that represents beekeepers in 110 countries.
17He said bees are at risk because of climate change.
18 When some parts of the world are hotter and drier than in the past, the plants that bees depend on cannot grow.
19Sometimes, he said, "there are no flowers."
20Without flowers, bees cannot collect pollen, which means they can die of hunger.
21Pettis also said wildfires hurt bees. He called the fires "a big issue."
22Pettis wrote a report in the past about the plant called goldenrod, which produces a large amount of pollen.
23He wrote that, as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere grows, the amount of protein in pollen decreases.
24Many of the bees in North America depend on goldenrod pollen to get through winter.
25He said the pollen problem could affect other plants, too.
26In both France and the United States, between 30 and 40 percent of beehives are dying each winter.
27French researcher Jean-Marc Bonmatin said some pesticides hurt bees more than others.
28A kind of pesticide called a neonicotinoid is absorbed, or taken in, by the entire plant.
29Other pesticides only affect the part of the plant upon which they are applied.
30The neonicotinoids can affect the pollen and nectar that is taken in by the bees.
31The pesticides then poison the bees.
32Beginning in 2013, the European Union restricted the use of some of these pesticides.
33The EU banned them fully in 2018.
34However, some countries are permitting farmers to use them again under "emergency authorizations."
35Bonmatin said there is one thing that might help farmers make better choices.
36A newly developed computer program will permit them to find out if the pesticide they want to use is harmful to bees.
37The farmers will not have to pay for the computer program.
38Pettis noted that there are ways people can help bees.
39He said farmers should start planting a wide range of crops, and not depend as much on crops that need pesticides.
40He called that kind of farming "sustainable" and "organic."
41In addition, he said, bees can sometimes survive on their own without special help from humans.
42He talked about a black bee found in the northwestern part of France.
43The bee is still living even though it has been attacked by parasites and not given extra food by humans.
44He said the bees "survive pretty well even without us."
45I'm Dan Friedell.
1A large European beekeeper group held its yearly meeting this week in France. The group said it is concerned about the effects of climate change, parasites and pesticides on both bees and the world food supply. 2The beekeepers said bees are dying in large amounts. They also noted that bees are not producing as much honey as in the past. 3The beekeepers said Europe only produces about 60 percent of the honey it consumes. Production in France, the group said, has fallen by more than 50 percent since the 1990s. 4The beekeeping group said its announcement about the bee situation in Europe gives beekeepers and scientists a chance to react to climate concerns. 5The spokesperson for the National Union of French Beekeepers is Henri Clement. He is a beekeeper from southeastern France. He said he has been working as a beekeeper and trying to keep bees healthy for 30 years. However, if he had to consider a career for himself today, he said, he might not want to raise bees. 6He is close to retirement and wonders if young people will take up the work. 7The people at the event were all talking about chemicals known as pesticides, which hurt bees. They also discussed climate change and invasive insects and parasites that kill bees and harm beehives. 8Climate danger 9Jeff Pettis is an insect expert based in the United States. He is also president of Apimondia, a group that represents beekeepers in 110 countries. He said bees are at risk because of climate change. When some parts of the world are hotter and drier than in the past, the plants that bees depend on cannot grow. Sometimes, he said, "there are no flowers." Without flowers, bees cannot collect pollen, which means they can die of hunger. 10Pettis also said wildfires hurt bees. He called the fires "a big issue." 11Pettis wrote a report in the past about the plant called goldenrod, which produces a large amount of pollen. He wrote that, as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere grows, the amount of protein in pollen decreases. 12Many of the bees in North America depend on goldenrod pollen to get through winter. 13He said the pollen problem could affect other plants, too. 14In both France and the United States, between 30 and 40 percent of beehives are dying each winter. 15Man-made dangers 16French researcher Jean-Marc Bonmatin said some pesticides hurt bees more than others. A kind of pesticide called a neonicotinoid is absorbed, or taken in, by the entire plant. Other pesticides only affect the part of the plant upon which they are applied. The neonicotinoids can affect the pollen and nectar that is taken in by the bees. The pesticides then poison the bees. 17Beginning in 2013, the European Union restricted the use of some of these pesticides. The EU banned them fully in 2018. However, some countries are permitting farmers to use them again under "emergency authorizations." 18Bonmatin said there is one thing that might help farmers make better choices. A newly developed computer program will permit them to find out if the pesticide they want to use is harmful to bees. The farmers will not have to pay for the computer program. 19Pettis noted that there are ways people can help bees. He said farmers should start planting a wide range of crops, and not depend as much on crops that need pesticides. He called that kind of farming "sustainable" and "organic." 20In addition, he said, bees can sometimes survive on their own without special help from humans. He talked about a black bee found in the northwestern part of France. The bee is still living even though it has been attacked by parasites and not given extra food by humans. 21He said the bees "survive pretty well even without us." 22I'm Dan Friedell. 23Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by AFP. 24________________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26parasite -n. an animal or plant that lives in or on another animal or plant and gets food or protection from it 27pesticide -n. a chemical used to kill animals or insects that damage plants or crops 28consume -v. to eat or drink something 29invasive -adj. something that is not local that spreads in a new area 30beehive -n. the place built by bees for them to live and store honey 31pollen -n. the fine dust produced by a plant that is carried to other plants by wind or insects 32apply -v. to put or spread something on a surface 33authorization -n. the act of giving permission 34sustainable -adj. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed 35organic -adj. food grown without the use of chemicals 36____________________________________________________________________ 37We want to hear from you. What are people doing to help bees where you live? 38We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 39Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.