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Last summer, the island of Evia, Greece, was devastated by fires. The flames also destroyed more than 10,000 beehives. A disaster for beekeepers.
On the island of Euboea, Greece, there is nothing left but a blackened soil as far as the eye can see, as a result of the fires of last summer. Yet, for years, this island was, in the country, an example of biodiversity. Now beekeepers are bitter. More than 10,000 beehives have in fact been destroyed. Thousands of bees have been burned, and thousands more, disoriented by the smoke, have disappeared.
In total, 40% of Greece’s honey was harvested here, mostly pine honey. Since the fires, an entire ecosystem has therefore disappeared. The landscape of this Greek island has been profoundly changed. Nicoleris Giannis, beekeeper, inherited the passion for honey from his grandmother. Before the fires that ravaged his island, he owned 200 beehives, but he was only able to save half of them. “It’s a disaster, laments the beekeeper. Not just for me, it’s a disaster for all beekeepers in the region. For me, this profession is over. I gave it my all, I have no more energy to fight. “To face this ecological disaster, beekeepers are organizing themselves. But they consider the compensation offered by the government too low.
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