The winter of 2009/2010 has hit Switzerland’s bee population hard, with 22 per cent of their number not surviving.
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Another eight per cent have suffered so badly that they will not survive much longer, according to one of the country’s leading beekeepers’ associations.
According to a survey, the beekeepers estimate their losses at SFr10 million ($9 million), adding that the ecological consequences will be severe.
The figures are based on the estimates of 18,000 beekeepers in the German- and Romansch-speaking parts of the country.
The exact cause of the deaths remains a mystery, despite several scientific research projects.
According to the beekeepers, the main culprit is the varroa destructor, a parasitic mite from Asia that attacks honey bees.
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