The government of Morocco has launched a special program to support beekeepers impacted by bees’ desertion of several Moroccan provinces.
The decision resulted from the January 29 videoconference meeting marked with the presence of the Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture Mohammed Sadiki, and the Director-General of the National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) Abdellah Janati.
ONSSA reported the observation of bees desertion in different Moroccan provinces. The office identified the phenomenon as “Colony Collapse Syndrome,” which is common in Europe, America, and Africa.
Training
The syndrome occurs when “the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen,” according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Morocco’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests performed the launch ceremony and said the US $13.83 has been allocated for the program to provide training to beekeepers, create a national campaign to protect beehives against varroasis, and reconstruct infected beehives.
Based on preliminary results, the office concluded that the phenomenon is not related to bee disease. ONSSA has set up a multidisciplinary committee of experts to continue research, the statement noted, adding that the Office is collaborating with professionals in the sector to identify the causes of the syndrome. So far the research attributes bee dissertation to low rainfall, poor nutrition, and unhealthy conditions in apiaries, the press release concluded.
