By Erica Lympousi | Fundraising Associate
Through the "Queen Rearing: Rescue and Genetic Improvement of Bees”, program in Greece (Thessaly and Evia), 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 1st 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 2nd 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 started again the grafting activity in spring 2024 and specifically in April, with each beekeeper receiving 30 queen cells.
Following the devastating loss caused by storm 'Daniel' in September 2023, we launched a free training program titled "Natural Disasters: Prevention and Replenishment of the Beekeeping Capital" for Thessaly beekeepers. This initiative included 10 educational workshops across 10 different municipalities, including hard-to-reach areas: Farssala, Elassona, Larissa, Mouzaki, Palamas, Kalambaka, Kala Nera Pelion, Almyros Volos, and Karditsa. Each 4-hour session equipped over 250 beekeepers with essential knowledge and skills to prepare for challenges, adapt to climate changes, and manage their bees properly.
In collaboration with the scientific team from the Agricultural University of Athens, we selected 10 experienced and trained beekeepers who had previously participated in the 'Queen Rearing: Utilization, Rescue, and Genetic Improvement of Bees in Thessaly' program (2022–2023). These beekeepers will assist up to 300 beekeepers affected by the storm with new queen cells. These 10 beekeepers underwent a 3-day re-training session, which covered the following topics:
After completing the training, the beekeepers were provided with the necessary equipment and supplies for the production and delivery of queen cells. This process commenced in January 2024 and continued until mid-June 2024. The activities will resume in September 2024 when the temperatures are lower.
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