This Europe: Drought and pesticides sting Italy's beekeepers

Beekeepers are warning that Italy faces an environmental disaster because millions of bees are dying.

The National Beekeepers Association has written an open letter to Giovanni Alemanno, the Agriculture Minister, alerting him to the dire economic straits of apiarists and warning that the plight of bee stocks points to a much bigger environmental problem. Strong pesticides are thought to be the main blight to the bees, with the harm aggravated by severe drought in the south.

The letter to the minister explains how the reproduction of many wild plants is at risk from the loss of so many bees, which are essential to their pollination. Francesco Panella, the president of the association, said: "Bees are our sentinels of the environment, very much like butterflies and fireflies. Unlike ants, termites or cockroaches, they are extremely delicate and will not adapt to a negative environment.

"A bee does not survive contact with toxic substances and dies before it even reaches the hive." She added: "We are witnessing an ecological and economic disaster."

Production of Italian honey is expected to fall by at least 50 per cent this year, with honeysuckle, rhododendron and dandelion types of honey not being produced at all.

More than half the honey sold in Europe is imported because the continent cannot produce enough on its own.

Many Italian beekeepers, are facing huge losses because bees are very expensive to replace and many apiarists are not eligible for European Union subsidies to support their finances.