Maltese bees must be buzzing with delight as each hive has been allocated about €8 from the EU budget for the next three years as part of a scheme aimed at helping the island’s apiculture regeneration.

The EU allocated €21,000 to be used exclusively in projects aimed at enhancing the Maltese bee population, which will also be 50 per cent funded from the national coffers.

According to the European Commission, Malta has 2,722 bee hives.

This support will be used to enhance the island’s bee population by re-stocking hives and introducing programmes against illnesses, which have contributed substantially to the decline of the insect’s population across the EU in recent years.

The health of the beekeeping sector has become a sensitive issue across the EU given the fundamental role of bees for pollination.

For several years the sector has been facing an unprecedented mortality of bees.

This not only makes the economic situation difficult for beekeepers but also poses a threat to biodiversity.

The number of hives in the EU is estimated to be about 14 million. The EU has allocated €32 million under this initiative to be shared among the 27 member states. Spain has the highest bee population in the EU with almost 2.5 million bee hives.