Hive fidelity

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Smoke calms bees down. Reto Habisreutinger, an apiarist from Eptingen, canton Basel Country, has set up his hives at the edge of a cherry orchard. Tomas Wüthrich

The idyll of the past has gone - hives by the motorway at Mühleberg, canton Bern. Tomas Wüthrich

Markus Gabriel, a gardener and hobby beekeeper from Nottwil, canton Lucerne. The hive - Villa Sting-Me-Not - was built in 1930. Tomas Wüthrich

A queen surrounded by workers (left). Honey dripping from the centrifuge. Tomas Wüthrich

A wild bee, Osmia cornuta, on an apple blossom. Tomas Wüthrich

Bees are ideal pollinators in the cherry orchard. Tomas Wüthrich

Feeding bees a sugar solution at the Bee Research Centre at Liebefeld-Bern. Tomas Wüthrich

Thomas Amsler has positioned his hives on the Uri side of the Furka Pass. They produce so-called alpine rose honey. Tomas Wüthrich

Entrances to Villa Sting-Me-Not. Tomas Wüthrich

Jochen Pflugfelder and helpers at the Bee Research Centre attempt to round up a swarm. Tomas Wüthrich

Bees with a wing deformity are examined at the Bee Research Centre. Tomas Wüthrich

Thomas Amsler checks his colony. Tomas Wüthrich

Hobby beekeeper Beatrice Meyer produces honey on her terrace in the middle of Zurich (left). Thomas Amsler checks his honeycombs at the Furka Pass. Tomas Wüthrich

Fritz Baumgartner is an apiarist and cheesemaker from Trub, canton Bern. Here he's checking the honeycombs in his mobile hives. Tomas Wüthrich

Reto Habisreutinger checks his honeycombs. Tomas Wüthrich

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Around 30% of our food and 70% of forage crops depend on pollination by insects. Honey bees play a central role in this. Although Switzerland has one of the highest bee densities, colonies are being decimated by diseases.

Worrying diseases include the varroa mite and foulbrood. The number of apiarists is also dropping, with their average age being around 70. (All pictures by Tomas Wüthrich.)