Assessment from the French Ministry of Agriculture on Bee Deaths: Varroa is Enemy #1
January 5, 2017
Editor’s Note: Translation from the French via Google Translate.
From: Mediaterre.org
A communiqué from the Biodiversity Network for Bees:
Assessment of the follow-up of bee deaths by the DGAL (Ministry of Agriculture)
Pathologies, poor apiculture practices and famine: the true causes of clearly identified bee mortalities
The 2015 conclusions of the official monitoring system for bee disorders by the Ministry of Agriculture are clear and unambiguous: health and nutritional factors explain the deaths of bees. We can therefore prioritize the factors by importance: 1- Pathologies 2- Beekeeping practices 3- Lack of food resources and 4- Phytosanitary products.
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The Varroa, enemy number 1 of the bees
Nearly 4 out of 10 investigations concluded that there was a certain responsibility for pathologies, thus explaining the mortalities observed. It is essentially the inadequacy or even complete absence of control of the Varroa that explains this situation. “In view of the profile of varroa and its role in the weakening of the bee’s immune system and its role as vector of other pathogens, in particular viruses, this recurring observation is alarming and calls for concrete and rapid action On the part of beekeepers “according to Fayçal Meziani, national expert on beekeeping and apiculture, to the DGAL (Directorate-General for Food – Ministry of Agriculture).
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