Why China’s coronavirus lockdowns are such a big threat to beekeepers
- Traffic restrictions are preventing commercial apiarists from moving hives as the countryside comes into bloom, depriving the colonies of sustenance
- The insects play a vital role in pollinating crops that account for about 90 per cent of the food eaten around the world
Chinese beekeeper Mo Jiakai should be as busy as the inhabitants of his 200 or so hives at this time of year.
He and his wife should be close to Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan, ready for the colonies to make the most of the canola crops coming into bloom.
“We would have to go into quarantine for 14 days upon our arrival in Chengdu, which means the hives would be left to starve and die,” said Mo, who has been in the beekeeping business for more than two decades.
“For beekeepers, life is an adventure chasing blossom, but how can we if roads are blocked?” Mo said, adding that “without flowers, bees would die”.
Mo is among roughly 300,000 commercial beekeepers in China, many of who have struggled to keep their businesses alive amid tight restrictions on travel throughout the country.