A homage to the fabrics and fragrances favoured by the last queen of France before the French Revolution, the unveiling was never going to be anything less than a spectacle worthy of Versailles.
Stealing beehives has long been a problem but never at this level
Credit: SEBASTIEN NOGIER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
French beekeepers have been stung by a wave of thefts of their hives, which they blame on rising demand and plummeting honey bee populations due to pesticides, the Asian hornet and climate change.
Last month in the southwestern Occitanie region alone, some 157 hives were reported stolen by four professional beekeepers in a week.
Stealing beehives has existed “since the dawn of time”, according to the national French keepers’ union, including among keepers themselves, but never at this level.
“What has changed is the number of mass thefts - 15 hives at a time. ,” union president Frank Alétru told Le Parisien. “Before, that didn’t happen.”