More protection for bees demanded

Thursday, 5 March 2026 06:30

Swiss beekeepers are launching a popular initiative to anchor stronger protection for native pollinating insects in the Federal Constitution.

The umbrella group Apisuisse will begin collecting signatures on May 20, World Bee Day.

Its president, Martin Schwegler, says current federal funding of CHF 3m iis too low given the insects’ economic importance.

Nearly half of wild bee species are threatened or already extinct.

The initiative focuses on incentives and cooperation, stressing that more than 80 percent of flowering plants depend on pollinators.

More from Bitesize News

More Swiss firefighters head to France

A second team of 33 firefighters from French speaking Switzerland will travel to south-western France this weekend to relieve colleagues battling the wildfires.
French wildfire smoke drifts

Smoke from the wildfires ravaging south-western France has drifted into Switzerland, the federal weather service MétéoSuisse says.
Unions demand hot weather orders

Geneva's construction workers remain on the job despite soaring temperatures, prompting fresh criticism from the SIT union.
Brighter economic prediction

Switzerland's short-term economic outlook has brightened in July, according to the KOF barometer released yesterday.
Annemasse municipal police attacked

Two Annemasse municipal officers have been attacked by a woman this week, in the latest incident to fuel concerns about violence in the cross-border town.
Geneva and Vaud have the cheapest pools

Geneva and Vaud have the cheapest public pools, according to a new comparison of 268 sites released as another heatwave bakes the country.