Beekeepers warned to remove dry vegetation from hive areas  

The agriculture ministry on Saturday called on beekeepers to remove dry grass from around their apiaries to prevent hives being destroyed by brush fires.

In a written statement, the ministry also recommended avoiding the placement of apiaries in areas that may cause disturbance, such as in residential or livestock areas. It also stressed the need for the placement of water troughs for bees.

Beekeepers, it said, were obliged to write their names, address and / or telephone on each hive, along with the appropriate marking as allocated by the agriculture department – the district, the beekeeper’s registration number, and apiary number – for easy identification of the owner.

The announcement follows a warning by the met service of extremely high temperatures on Saturday and following a large fire in Ypsonas some two weeks ago, which burned approximately half a square kilometre of vegetation but also a number of apiaries. It also killed farm animals and dogs.

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