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Stung by drought, Morocco's bees face disaster
Morocco's village of Inzerki is proud to claim it has the world's oldest and largest collective beehive, but the colonies have collapsed amid crippling drought.
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Bees are pictured at the Inzerki Apiary in the village of Inzerki, at a hillside in the heart of the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve some 415 kilometres (260 miles) southwest of the Moroccan capital Rabat on February 18, 2022. (AFP/Fadel Senna)
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orocco's village of Inzerki is proud to claim it has the world's oldest and largest collective beehive, but instead of buzzing with springtime activity, the colonies have collapsed amid crippling drought.
Beekeeper Brahim Chatoui says he has lost almost a third of his hives in just two months -- and he is not alone.
"At this time of year, this area would normally be buzzing with bees," said Chatoui, sweating under a blazing springtime sun. "Today, they're dying at a terrifying rate."
The North African kingdom has seen a dramatic spike in mass die-offs of the critical pollinators, a phenomenon called "colony collapse disorder".
Worldwide, experts say such sudden mass deaths of bees are often linked to the destruction of nature and the rampant use of pesticides.
But authorities in Morocco say these collapses are caused by the worst drought to hit the country in 40 years, which has decimated the plants on which bees rely for food.
'Unprecedented' spike
