Environment Minister Ján Budaj wants to include bees on the protected species list and, together with the minister of agriculture Jan Mičovský, wishes to curb the use of pesticide spraying that is lethal to bees. "Bees are of similar importance as other insect pollinators and worthy of recognition and protection as a species," Budaj claimed at a press conference held to mark World Bee Day on Wednesday. Budaj added that about 40 percent of European bees are endangered by climate change and the use of pesticides. Both agriculture and environment ministers drafted a plan to limit the use of chemical spraying so as not to be employed at times when bees are flying into fields. 75 percent of all harvests depends on the activity of bees.
Zuzana Botiková, photo: tasr
