Beekeepers in a battle for survival

Northern Evia experienced an awful disaster in 2021 when a wildfire charred over 50,000 hectares of land. The blow to the area's beekeepers was heartbreaking. Many colonies did not survive and in those that did, the bees were disoriented and weak. Some beekeepers became nomads, transporting their bees - at significant cost - to other areas, mainly to southern Evia or Thessaly in mainland central Greece. They were fighting to save what could be saved.

Then came the massive wildfire in Evros in July 2023, one of the largest in Europe. The wild bees in the forest perished and the colonies that survived the blaze struggled in a devastated environment.

Then came the floods in Thessaly in September 2023. Another huge disaster. Tens of thousands of bees were swept away by the water and buried in the mud. It was not only local beekeepers who saw their livelihoods destroyed,...