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The protection of bees should be enshrined in the Swiss constitution. This is why Swiss beekeepers are launching a bee initiative. (archive picture)
Keystone
The protection of bees should be enshrined in the Swiss constitution. This is why Swiss beekeepers are launching a bee initiative. The text of the initiative is currently being examined by the Federal Chancellery.
The collection of signatures is due to start on May 20, International Bee Day. The beekeeping organizations want to enshrine the protection and promotion of bees and other native pollinator insects in the Federal Constitution. The "SonntagsZeitung" and "Le Matin Dimanche" first reported on the initiative.
The initiative text was submitted to the Federal Chancellery in February 2026, according to the BienenSchweiz website. The text is now being reviewed by the Federal Chancellery and, if necessary, adapted by the supporting association.
BienenSchweiz, the Société Romande d'Apiculture (SAR) and the Federazione Ticinese Apicoltori (FTA) will vote on the further course of the initiative at their delegates' meetings in spring 2026. If the delegates of the associations agree to continue working on the initiative, the initiative will be launched on May 20, when the collection of signatures is also expected to begin.
As an umbrella organization, Apisuisse represents the interests of around 18,000 beekeepers in Switzerland. Its members are the regional language associations BienenSchweiz (beekeepers' association for German-speaking and Romansh-speaking Switzerland), the Société Romande d'Apiculture (SAR) and the Federazione Ticinese Apicoltori (FTA).
According to BienenSchweiz, the honey bee is just one of over 600 bee species in Switzerland. Although their numbers are not threatened, they are also suffering from the excessive use of pesticides and dwindling flower supply.
Around half of native wild bees are endangered, according to a report published by the Federal Office for the Environment in 2024. The reason for this is the lack of flowers to collect pollen and nectar as well as a lack of nesting sites.
Without bees, "many cultivated and wild plants would no longer exist or would have to be laboriously pollinated by hand - an impossible and costly undertaking". This makes their protection all the more important, according to the beekeepers' associations.
01.03.2026, 10:40
