Francesco Damarco, 28 years old, graduated in Economics and employed in a statutory auditing firm, he is a beekeeper from Moncalvo. Since 2015, together with the brother Lorenzo of 27 ea Roberto Vaglio of 36, manages the “Da Maia Beekeeping », an agricultural cooperative. “Save the world with sweetness” is their motto.
Are bees facing a crisis?
«Due to the criticalities caused by climate change, bees are in serious difficulty: their survival is in danger. What is worrying above all is the scarce rainfall: in fact, honey production in 2022 is uncertain ».
How was the past year?
“In the spring we had allocated about thirty beehives to acacia honey. Result? Less than 100 kilos. These are derisory figures. In the past, however, 10-15 kg were obtained per hive and, in good years, it reached 30-40 kg. In the period in which we had to harvest, the bees were starving: we had to feed the hives in order not to lose them ».
How?
«By administering, at the end of the scarce nectar flow, a solution based on water and sugar. This practice, however, only partially compensates for the food needs of bees, which are satisfied, in normal times, independently. It also affects the average duration of their existence “.
The death rate?
Fortunately, we have not experienced significant depopulation. We have, however, lost 10%. We now have about sixty hives. The crisis is twofold: if beekeeping does not make money, the beekeeper is forced to face a rather difficult economic situation ».
What are the problems?
“In concrete terms, as bees are unable to develop adequately as they do not have natural food sources. Sometimes, when winter is upon us, their energies are already running low. Thus, the probabilities of exceeding the seasons characterized by low temperatures are reduced ».
What happen?
“A swarm, which under normal conditions would be able to survive, dies. In general, the mortality rates are quite high. Some colleagues have recently lost half of their bees “.” –