About 10,000 bees join the protest in Chile: 7 policemen suffer stings

Meet the tallest bee hives in the world 1:18

(Reuters) -

 Four beekeepers were detained after a protest outside Chile's presidential palace in Santiago on Monday, local officials reported.

At least seven policemen suffered bee stings during the demonstrations, according to authorities.

Beekeepers demanding government help in the midst of a severe drought are detained during a protest in Santiago de Chile this Monday.

Honey production was hit by a prolonged drought in Chile, which withered the bees' food sources such as flowers and crops.

While the drought is not unusual in Chile, the current one - of great magnitude - has persisted since 2010. Furthermore, climate change is, at least in part, the culprit, scientists say.

Beekeepers are calling for a government reform to improve honey prices or provide subsidies to honey producers.

In that sense, they asked to meet with President Sebastián Piñera.

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  Do not worry!

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The beekeepers located around 60 hives, containing approximately 10,000 bees, on the avenue in front of the palace.

"The bees are dying," says beekeeper during the protest in Chile

José Iturra, one of the beekeepers, told local reporters that the drought in the Colina commune, north of Santiago, is killing the local population of bees.

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"The bees are dying," Iturra said.

"There would be no life if the bees died. That is what we wanted to highlight with this demonstration."

Riot police remove the honeycombs during the protest in Santiago.

A representative of the Ministry of Agriculture in the Santiago region said the agency is also concerned about the effect of the drought on bees.

The government has provided aid for months to 20 communities experiencing severe water shortages, Omar Guzmán, regional agriculture secretary, told reporters.

Some passersby were alarmed by the risk that bees posed to the public.

"It is dangerous for people allergic (to bees) because they can cause death," said a local.

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Seven national police officers, called Carabineros, were stung while trying to arrest beekeepers and remove the hives from the street, officers said.

Those affected were taken to hospital.

Droughts and rising temperatures due to climate change have affected bee populations around the world.

A 2020 study, published in the journal

, found that populations fell about 50% in North America and 17% in Europe in one generation.

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