Farmers in southern Mexico rescue bees amid the drought ravaging the region

SANTA ANA ZEGACHE, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexican farmer Floriberto Matias delicately picks up a honeycomb filled with bees and, alongside other activists in southern Mexico, takes the delicate structures to a nearby apiary for the tiny buzzing creatures. In the city of Santa Ana Zegache in the state of Oaxaca, Matias and other farmers fear that the ongoing drought and resulting loss of flora could harm the local bee population. This would threaten the farmers themselves, said beekeeper Eloy Perez, who is part of the city's rescue operations. "Without the work of pollination, which is what bees do, there would be no type of food production, from the smallest grass to giant watermelons," he said. Scientists warn of declining bee populations in different parts of the world, with vast implications for ecosystems and agricultural production. Studies show that habitat loss, pesticides, monoculture agriculture and the spread of pathogens are risks to Mexico's bee populations. While there is ...