Over 50 beekeepers have reported that their bees have escaped recently, according to the Swedish Beekeepers' Association.
The reports mainly come from Skåne, but also from other parts of Götaland. The bees leave their hives successively during the winter and never return.
That 10 to 20 percent of all bee colonies die in their hives during the winter is normal, but that they leave their hives and die in nature is a worrying phenomenon, says Björn Gustavsson, who is an advisor in bee health and biological diversity at the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
The cases have increased in Sweden this year and it is unclear what is behind the bees' escape.
We have seen that it has happened before in Sweden, but to a very small extent, means Björn Gustavsson.
In the research world, there are several hypotheses about the phenomenon, including that a behavioral disorder is occurring in the bees. That they fly out of their hives and for some reason do not find their way back.
Today, there are approximately 270 beekeeping associations in Sweden.
The Swedish Beekeepers' Association has nearly 17,000 members.
Source: The Swedish Beekeepers' Association.
