Extreme weather events in Chile, including major recent floods and wildfires earlier this year, are devastating bee colonies. The bees are a key pollinator for crops of avocados and almonds in one of the global south's key food producing countries.
After several major fires at the start of the year, heavy rainfall in the last week has caused floods that have blocked off roads and prompted evacuations in the center of the country.
"We were affected by the fires and now the floods," said Mario Flores, president of the National Beekeeping Movement (Monachi), adding that over 3,000 beehives were affected last week alone in heavy rains in Chile's south-central region. "The situation we are experiencing today is critical for the national beekeeping industry."
Chile's bee population, hit hard in recent years by drought, is important for pollinating many of the South American country's export crops including cherries, blueberries and apples, part of a multi-billion dollar food industry.
Source: reuters.com
