This year honey production in Armenia has slashed from two thousand metric tons in 2013 to about one hundred tons, said on Thursday Telman Nazaryan, the head of the National Association of Beekeepers Nectar.

Citing data from his own research he said the dramatic decline in production is due to the loss of honey bees.

"Honey production this year has dropped catastrophically I personally conducted research across the country and I can say with certainty that the number of bees has decreased. The National Association of Beekeepers is concerned about this situation. We believe that research is needed to objectively assess the extent of the problem and develop a mechanism to deal with the death of the bees, “said Nazaryan.

The first massive death of bees was described by American beekeepers in 2006. It was called "colony collapse disorder." Colony collapse disorder is caused by a combination of factors – parasites, agricultural chemicals and poor nutrition.

These all weaken the honeybees' immune system and make them more susceptible to viruses and infections that can kill them. Some experts argue that frequencies use by cellular phones also affect bees which "forget" the way to hives and die.

This is a global problem. Of the 100 crop species responsible for providing 90% of food worldwide, 71 are dependent on bee pollination, aaccording to UN figures. They also say the number of honey bees in the world fell by 90%.

Source - http://arka.am/