‘No reason to fear for loss of Maltese bee’s identity’ – Galdes

Beekeepers’ fears that a recent importation of hives could threaten the DNA of the Maltese bee are unfounded, agriculture parliamentary secretary Roderick Galdes said.

“Under the previous administration, bees were imported in large amounts from Sicily and New Zealand,” Galdes said in response to a parliamentary question by Opposition MP Censu Galea. “There’s no reason to fear for the identity of Maltese bees.”

Last month, renowned Italian apiculturist Ermanno De Chino imported 445 nucleus bee colonies to Gozo, for use by his new company Melita Bees Limited to produce queen bees for export. 

“The interbreeding of Maltese bees with French and Italian ones could result in aggressive hybrids,” Malta Beekeepers Association president Stephen Galea told MaltaToday. “Studies have proved that the Maltese honey bee has evolved over time into a completely endemic species, a very hard-working bee that can thrive in Malta’s hot summers. 

“Italian and French bees, on the other hand, are used to kinder, sunflower-filled environments.” 

When contacted by MaltaToday, De Chino dismissed such inter-breeding fears, saying that
Maltese apiculturists had already imported Italian bees before.
However, Galea has argued that the sheer scale of De Chino’s importation could result in inter-breeding at a level that will change the local bees’ DNA and therefore their suitability to Malta’s conditions. 

“There was no scientific justification through which we could have halted the importation of bees from France and doing so would have broken EU law,” Galdes said.

Beekeepers have also voiced concern that De Chino’s hives originated in Sicily and were infected with the deadly small hive beetle, a well-known beekeeping pest whose larvae feed on honey, pollen and bee broods. The beetle’s rapid breeding rate means that it can quickly wipe out a colony and spread to other hives. 

They have argued that the trucks carrying the bees boarded off a Pozzallo catamaran and that Ispica – where De Chino’s Sicilian bee-breeding company Apiservices is based – is only a 15-minute drive to Pozzallo. They have also claimed that the hives look identical to those used in similar operations in Ispica and that the trucks used to carry them looked far too old and run-down to be able to travel from the north to the south of France. 

Galdes reiterated that the hive consignment’s trace certificates proved that the bees originated in France.

“Apiservices are investing millions in our country and all the necessary investigations were carried out on the boxes,” he said. “We’re more worried about people who import bees through the post than we are about those who import them through all the necessary procedures.”

When asked by Galea whether he could guarantee that the small hive beetle will not enter Malta, Galdes said that he could  not.

“The beetle can enter the island through several means, such as through fruit,” he said. “There’s no way we can absolutely prove that it will never enter the island.”