By Rivka Borochov
Bees and mankind have developed a “sweet” relationship over centuries. Today, when the bee population has declined by 40 percent in some countries, threatening honey and crop production, a relatively new European Union event aims to preserve the beekeeping profession among youth.
This July, Israel became the first non-European country to join the annual four-day International Meeting of Young Beekeepers Competition, held in Prague.
Shnir Ofir, 16; Shachar Horesh, 15; and and Talia Ashuri, 15, joined their European counterparts, also in groups of threes, from each EU country for a summer meeting on the bees.
Among the activities was a social event where the young beekeepers – most of them, like the Israelis, come from traditional beekeeping families – got to introduce their country and the story of their bees. English and German were the official languages spoken.
A series of tests and competitions was held to challenge the youngsters to see how much they know about the profession. They were tested on their general knowledge of beekeeping, working with a microscope, their hands-on experience with bees and beehives, their ability to use the tools of beekeepers and academic knowledge.
Probably because the bee species in Israel are different than in Europe, as are the pollinated plants that the bees target and the tools of the trade, the Israeli teens didn’t win any prizes.
Abuzz for the bees in Israel
But what they earned was much more valuable, says their escort Hertzl Avidor, head of
Israel’s Honey Board.
“The competition was really secondary,” he says. The teens acquired a regional understanding of bee colony collapse disorder (CCD), and had the chance to discuss Israel’s specific issues and solutions with other like-minded youths from Europe, he explains.
Raising awareness about beekeeping and CCD, a global phenomenon affecting bee populations everywhere, is a priority for beekeepers today. The disorder has resulted in a 20% drop in Israel’s number of bees, while in the United States the loss is closer to the 40% mark, says Avidor.
It’s not just a question of losing honey sales, he emphasizes. Since bees are the world’s most important pollinators, if we were to see more dramatic drops in populations the entire balance of the food chain could be thrown off. Without pollination, edible plants or vegetables would not be able to turn their flowers into fruit.
Some people blame unusual viruses. More far-fetched theories point to cellular antennae radiation as the culprit. But agriculture expert Avidor thinks it’s a cocktail of manmade reasons – deforestation, loss of habitat, pollution, climate change and invasive species -- stressing the bees’ immune system. He is advising Israel’s national forestry non-profit, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, how to plant trees that are good for the bees, such as eucalyptus, carob and wild plum.
There was time for socializing among the young beekeepers
After the meet, which will be open next year to teens from Japan and Australia, the young Israeli delegates sent out a press release asking that May be the Month of Beekeeping starting in 2013. Their trip to Prague created a buzz on the importance of beekeeping, with several feature articles about it in the Hebrew mainstream press.
Today Israel produces about 3,000 tons of honey, not enough for export. It imports about 1,000 tons from South America, the EU and the United States, says Avidor. This is to meet its demand for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana, where honey is a central feature for making the Jewish New Year extra sweet.