Bosnia is home to hundreds of thousands of bee colonies, tended mainly by individual beekeepers with small holdings. They must radically rethink traditions and conventional cycles of food and honey gathering. The reason is that climate change threatens the survival of their hives, and the insects find it increasingly difficult to find nectar supplies, reports Euronews.
That is why there are increasingly calls for greater financial support from the Bosnian government to protect long-standing practices and knowledge.
Bosnia has a rich beekeeping tradition. The country's diverse climate and flora are ideal for producing high-quality honey. But beekeeping is still largely considered a hobby, with most farmers owning fewer than 100 hives. The practice represents about 1% of the country's total agricultural production.
Bees are under a double threat
Beekeeping organizations in Bosnia believe that the situation is becoming increasingly precarious.
Munib Huseinagic is the chairman of a beekeeping association based in the central city of Zenica with 1100 members. Between them they maintain 37 hives.
“Bees are under double threat, from pathogens and from climate change; these two things have a significant impact on the condition of our beehives, their number and yield. Beekeepers are currently left to self-fund and wage war against these two threats," says Huseinagić.
He believes that the authorities in Bosnia, at all levels of government, are failing to support beekeepers. And it sets an example - subsidies are vitally necessary for breeding bee colonies and for protecting the health of bees.
“Our beekeeping methods are based on accumulated experience and published beekeeping literature, but things have changed so drastically. We followed a completely different foraging schedule with set dates. Before the climate started to change, we knew exactly where and when to go and what to do according to a certain schedule," Huseinagic explains.
According to official statistics, Bosnia has about 350 bee colonies and an annual production of honey between 000 and 2500 tons, which does not even meet the needs of the domestic market in the country.