Beekeepers affected by the loss of hives will receive support in 13 prioritized departments

Mosquera, Cundinamarca. September 12, 2023. In a joint effort to promote the health and well-being of bee populations in Colombia, with resources from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR), AGROSAVIA began the execution of the "Program to implement Good Livestock Practices," an initiative that among other objectives, which seeks to support beekeepers affected by the loss of hives due to health problems. This program will focus on thirteen prioritized departments, with the aim of strengthening beekeeping and mitigating bee mortality. The program represents a crucial milestone in the development of beekeeping in Colombia since it is the first strategy implemented since the formation of the Bee Chain in MADR.

Beneficiaries of this program include beekeepers who have reported hive losses to Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA) [the Colombian Agricultural Institute] or who have participated in knowledge transfer events. The prioritized departments established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for the execution of the agreement are Cesar, Bolívar, Córdoba, Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Meta, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Sucre, Vichada, Boyacá and Quindío.

These departments were chosen because they have the historical report of the highest number of cases of bee mortality reported to ICA. When an incident affects the hives, bee producers must notify ICA through the nearest regional office, the PQR website, or the contact numbers provided. ICA will designate an official to visit the property and take samples and information according to professional criteria. These samples will be sent to the AGROSAVIA laboratory, and the results will be communicated to the bee producer through the ICA official who attended the incident. In addition, the cases and their results will be shared with the working group established by the Administrative Court of Cundinamarca, in charge of investigating the impact of chemicals such as fipronil and neonicotinoids on bees and other pollinators.

The Ph.D. Researcher of the Tibaitatá Research Center from AGROSAVIA said, "The implementation of Good Practices in livestock production aims to provide optimal and healthy conditions for the development of bee populations, which will contribute to improving the production and obtaining their products and by-products. In addition, this initiative seeks to strengthen bees to better face environmental adversities, such as the scarcity of resources and the effects caused by external factors, such as the effect of crop protection chemicals."

The "Program for the Implementation of Good Livestock Practices in the Productive Chain of Bees and Beekeeping (CPAA, for its acronym in Spanish)" represents a fundamental step for the productive development of beekeeping in Colombia and marks an important commitment to the conservation of bee populations in these thirteen prioritized departments.