In Moldova, there are only two breeding apiaries and the biological material produced by these does not meet the internal demand. Beekeepers say they have to smuggle bees. On the other hand, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture call on apiarists to submit attestation applications so that their apiaries become breeding ones, IPN reports.

Head of the Beekeepers Association of Ialoveni Ion Maxim, in a roundtable meeting, said the two existing breeding apiaries do not produce enough species, while the homologation of the species is another problem. It is hard to prove that the species Carpatina (Apis Mellifera Carpatica), which is attested in Moldova, meets all the parameters. There are few specialists in the field and these are paid a salary of only 900 lei.

The beekeepers asked that the Ministry of Agriculture should deal with the problem. If there are 15-20 producers of attested species in the country, there should be an appropriate number of labs and specialists. “The species Carpatina is needed in the Republic of Moldova, but, owing to the shortage of biological material produced in the country, we have to smuggle bees by buses and the race existing in Moldova is thus spoiled,” stated Ion Maxim.

Contacted by IPN, head of the Ministry’s Production, Processing and Animal Product Quality Regulation Division Tatiana Nistorica said the animal breeders and beekeepers now have the right to ask for subsidies for purchasing animals, including bee families. All the purchased animals and bees must possess a race certificate that is issued by an authorized breeding farm, including breeding apiary. In the Republic of Moldova, these farms are attested by the Ministry of Agriculture once in three years. Four applications were submitted three years ago. Only two of the apiaries were attested. These cannot supply the whole country with the necessary biological material.

Tatiana Nistorica said the Ministry of Agriculture called upon the beekeepers to submit attestation applications and to prepare the necessary documents. A breeding apiary must meet a number of criteria. The money bees and productivity of bee families must be strictly monitored. Attestation starts this month and the Ministry so far received four applications.