Queen Rearing: Save a Greek Bee

New Agriculture New Generation has designed and implements for the first time in Europe since 2021, the innovative capacity building program "Queen Rearing: Rescue and Genetic Improvement of Bees”, in two different areas in Greece: in the region of Thessaly (since 2021) and in the island of Evia (since 2022).

Through this program, we seek to change radically the beekeeping sector and strengthen the beekeeping community in Greece by utilizing, rescuing, and improving the genetic material of bees through a holistic and innovative approach, called “grafting”.

During the 1^st phase of the program, young local beekeepers receive training (“Train the Trainers" learning method) on sustainable beekeeping practices and on the innovative approach of “grafting”. During the 2^nd phase, the trained beekeepers, called “the grafters”, are responsible for transferring the knowledge to active beekeepers ("Peer-to-Peer” learning method) and providing the service of grafting. The artificial queen cells that are created will then be managed by the beekeepers for their own benefit, without any financial obligation.

Due to high temperatures in Evia in the summer of 2023, we had to postpone grafting activity until next spring. So, after having completed 2 preparatory online meetings with the beneficiaries of the program (1 online meeting in January 2024 and 1 online meeting in February 2024), we are planning to start again the grafting activity in spring 2024 and specifically in April.

In September 2023, a strong and dangerous storm called “Daniel” swept Greece, and especially Thessaly, in the regions where New Agriculture New Generation had been implementing the Queen Rearing Program. The storm resulted in a devastating loss for the locals. Many people lost their possessions and their homes, while their crops were (totally) destroyed. Approximately, 100,000 animals in the area drowned, and the region was inaccessible for a considerable time due to the destruction of the road network. New Agriculture New Generation’s team conducted an on-site visit as part of an assessment of the region's and its people needs, and we can confirm that the images we witnessed as well as the testimonies of the affected individuals, were truly heartbreaking.

Unfortunately, due to these multilateral disasters in Thessaly area, the beekeeping sector was one of the fields that were affected. According to recent data, over 40% of beehives were lost in the region. Many of the beekeepers in Thessaly, most of whom are our beneficiaries, lost their beehives - some partially and others entirely, and the work and progress that had been done by then through our activity were ravaged.

Consequently, our actions within the framework of the 1^st Queen Rearing Program in the region of Thessaly had to be temporarily halted. As the consequences and damages were noteworthy, conserving bees and their habitats became even more critical for the recovery of agricultural system in Thessaly. Thus, we decided to restart the Queen Rearing Program in the spring of 2024, aiming to replenish bee colonies and rescue local genetic material with the support of our highly qualified professional queen breeders. In December 2023, we proceed to the selection of 10 grafters, who are about to support up to 300 beekeepers that have been affected by the storm, by providing 27,000 queen cells in total, starting from April 2024.

Alongside this activity, we decided to start a free training program on "Natural disasters: Prevention and replenishment of the beekeeping capital", which is addressed to the beekeepers of Thessaly. According to the planning of this action, a total of 10 educational meetings will be held in 10 different Municipalities of Thessaly, even in hard-to-reach areas, with the aim of supporting up to 300 beekeepers with knowledge and skills that will help them be better prepared to face challenges, to adapt to climate changes and to take the necessary measures for the proper management of their bees. Each training will be having a duration of 4 hours.

In December 2023, we started the preparations for the planning and implementation of these educational meetings (educational material, timeline, communication with external partners and competent bodies, etc.). The trainings started in January 2024 and to date 5 out of 10 have been completed, in 5 different regions of Thessaly (Farssala, Elassona, Larissa, Mouzaki, Palamas). We estimate that all 10 trainings will have been implemented by April 2024, with up to 300 beekeepers have been benefited.