In the more than three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed, energy infrastructure has suffered billions of dollars in damages, and more than 1,500 medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed. There’s also been an estimated $10-plus billion in damages to the agricultural sector, which we’ve been helping address for the past several years with help for a specific group: beekeepers.

Help On Bee Wings is an organization that has been working to restore the beekeeping industry in Ukraine, which has suffered significantly since the war began. The organization explains that eight frontline regions have been especially impacted due to apiaries being destroyed, abandoned, or inaccessible due to landmines. Further, many members of beekeeping families have gone off to fight in the war or died, limiting the number of people who can help run them. As a result of all of this, preliminary estimates have shown that the productive potential of Ukrainian beekeeping has fallen by 30%.

Help On Bee Wings says, “For many families, beekeeping was the main source of income. Its collapse has led to increased poverty, economic vulnerability, and social instability in rural areas. In addition to socio-economic consequences, the sharp decline in bee populations has serious ecological implications. Bees are critical pollinators of insect-pollinated crops. A single honeybee can pollinate up to 5,000 flowers in one day, and a bee colony can pollinate up to 300 million flowers daily."

Thanks in part to your clicks, trivia participation, shopping for a cause, and direct donations, we’ve been working with our partner Greater Good Charities, Help On Bee Wings, and other organizations to provide bee feed to Ukrainian beekeepers in war-torn regions, to ensure bees and the benefits they provide can survive. The feed product is from Mann Lake Bee and Ag Supply, with whom we also work to help American beekeepers impacted by natural disasters. Another partnership has helped provide medications to prevent and treat common bee diseases, which threaten an already precarious situation.

With these supplies, the goal is to promote the recovery of the Ukrainian beekeeping sector by restoring bee health, strengthening apiaries, increasing pollination capacity, and helping restore income to beekeeping families. Ultimately, this can also improve pollination of crops, rural economies, and food security in the region.

Among those helped by the partnership were Oleksandr and Tetyana, who began beekeeping about a decade ago to help save money for their two sons’ college educations.

Help On Bee Wings says, “To learn the trade, Oleksandr and Tetyana began helping their friend on his apiary during the summer. They enjoyed it very much and saw beekeeping not only as a way to earn money but also as something that brought them joy.

“In 2016, Oleksandr bought seven bee colonies. At that time, the family had nothing else related to beekeeping. Their friend helped them by providing equipment and giving them an old honey extractor. He also taught Oleksandr how to make beehives. Each year, Oleksandr and Tetyana worked to expand the apiary, investing not only money but also their hearts and souls into it. Their children also helped them a lot.”

Their operation had grown to 180 bee colonies by 2021, the year before Russia invaded. Their goal of helping cover their children’s education costs had come to fruition, too, as they were supporting their oldest son who had begun attending college.

However, when they began preparing for the 2022 season, the news that Ukraine had been invaded changed everything. Within a month, they were under occupation. This lasted for eight months, during which they were unable to visit their apiary and couldn’t leave their village at all. When they finally accessed it again, it had been destroyed and plundered.

Help On Bee Wings says, “The family was heartbroken over the loss of years of labor and care for their bees. When [their village] was finally liberated, Oleksandr and Tetyana had no doubt about restoring their apiary. They needed to work, to live, and to support their family. Their younger son had also entered university, and now they had two sons studying, which gave Oleksandr and Tetyana even more motivation to revive their apiary. However, they lacked the funds to purchase new bee packages, which was a major obstacle.”

When they were trying to figure out how to move forward, Oleksandr learned about Help On Bee Wings’ program and applied for it. The family’s application was accepted, which led to them receiving necessary supplies to restore their operation, including sugar, pollen substitute, and eight liters of veterinary products.

Help On Bee Wings says, “It was a true blessing to know that there are people ready to help in such difficult times. The family expresses their sincere gratitude.”

Your support has helped this family, and others, start anew and work to restore the Ukrainian beekeeping sector back to where it should be. Thank you! If you’d like to continue to support this effort, click below!