A group of women are working hive by hive to relocate bees in Mexico City that would be exterminated if they remained in the crowded capital city.
The group Abeja Negra S-O-S began looking for an alternatives to save the bees after city officials created protocol to exterminate every beehive reported to authorities. Over the past five years, the group has relocated around 510 hives, with an average size of around 80,000 bees.
The insects play a crucial role in food production around the world by pollinating plants. Globally, bee populations have been decimated in recent decades. The United States alone is estimated to have lost around 25% of its bees in the past 40 years. The drop is due to pollution, destruction of natural habitats and climate change. In 2019, the United Nations raised an alarm that bee loss “poses a serious threat” to global food security.
Earlier this year, beekeepers in southern Mexico mourned the “mass killing” of millions of bees by pesticides.