After the war, empty hives: Southern Lebanon’s honey industry on the brink

Report by Marie Ange Nawchi, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

A southern Lebanese beekeeper is among many residents who lost their livelihoods in the latest Israeli war, which destroyed his apiary and wiped out his sole source of income.

In border areas, shelling, fires, bulldozing, and displacement wiped out hundreds of apiaries. Even those located farther away, such as in Chehabiyeh in the Tyre district, were not spared from daily strikes.

Before the war, southern Lebanon was home to more than 19,000 beehives owned by over 7,000 beekeepers. After the war, the losses were severe. 

In frontline villages, more than 90% of apiaries were destroyed. In second-line villages, farmers lost between 50% and 70% of their apiaries. In rear-line villages, losses ranged between 30% and 50%.

Typically, beekeepers move their hives from coastal areas to mountainous regions by March to protect them from heat damage. However, given the security situation in the south, such relocation now poses a threat to their lives and their production.

The Agriculture Ministry attempted to support beekeepers in an effort to salvage their seasons, but numerous obstacles hindered its efforts. As a result, the beekeeping and honey sector has become another casualty of a war that spared neither people nor nature in southern Lebanon.