Pascal Brunner is a young Swiss who grew up in a beekeeping family. He and his father have launched a start-up that combats one of today's biggest threats to bee populations: the Varroa mite.
Vatorex is a heat treatment which kills the mites, but doesn’t harm the bees, when applied. It differs from other Varroa-mite-fighting products in that it’s not chemically based and is sustainable.
In 1946, there were more than 300,000 bee colonies in Switzerland; today, it’s less than half that. Much of the decline is due to the Varroa mite. Other reasons for bee deaths include the use of pesticides.
Brunner says he’s doing this work to help make the world a better place and keep bee populations thriving. He cites a quote – possibly attributable to Albert Einstain – that states, “When bees disappear from the Earth, man has four years left to live.”
In the lead up to October’s parliamentary elections, this is the seventh in a video series dedicated to looking at how political decisions and the issues of our time affect the everyday lives of Swiss people.
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