Earlier this month, the Mexican Chamber of Representatives received the initiative of Law for the Protection of Bees and Beekeeping Development, which aims to care for anthophiles “for the conservation of biodiverse species that provide environmental services through pollination.”
Article 2 of the initiative states that the purpose of the law is to make society aware of the necessary respect, care, protection and conservation of bees, as well as to recognize them as a species that needs to be protected in the state of Guanajuato.
“Promote support mechanisms for individuals that provide shelter and care to bees in danger of extinction and encourage the participation of the private and social sectors, for the fulfillment of the purposes of this Law,” the article said.
“The state and municipal governments will have to promote programs and campaigns to publicize the care and protection of bees,” says article 31.
Article 33 stipulates that the Secretariat of Education of Guanajuato (SEG) will have to include within the complementary educational programs, one chapter related to the use and development of beekeeping.
“The Ministry of Education of Guanajuato will implement actions among the educational community to raise awareness about the importance of bees on the ecosystem and the preservation of biodiversity and will promote higher education institutions that benefit the preservation, protection and proliferation of bees and its products (honey), ” said articles 34 and 35.
Articles 52, 53 and 54 establish that citizens must call 911 when a hive or swarm harm a person. Citizens must not put at risk or destroy any hives. And if for any reason the proper authorities need to destroy a hive, that represents a risk to the population, they must relocate it or deliver the case to beekeeping organizations. Violators to these regulations will be sanctioned.
The explanatory statement, of the initiative presented by the Parliamentary Group of the National Action Party (PAN), states that “beekeeping has a monumental importance, not only for the production of honey, but for the important role that bees play for the pollination of approximately 170 thousand species of plants “.
“The United Nations Organization reported that up to 35 percent of agricultural production worldwide depends on bees”, stated the PAN legislators.
“Bees as pollinators improve the food production of two billion small farmers around the world, helping to ensure the food security of the world’s population,” says the explanatory statement.
“In the state of Guanajuato there are about 40 thousand beehives and in 2016 there was a production of 720 tons of honey, with a value of 32.7 million pesos (1.6 million USD)”, the statement says.
To produce one kilogram of honey:
2,500 bees are needed, each of them will deliver the nectar of 560 flowers per day.
Each of these 2,500 bee will make between 10 and 15 daily flights, flying a distance between 40 and 100 kilometers for at least 21 days, to produce only one kilogram of honey.
San Miguel Times Newsroom
