Those factors, along with parasites, have hit bee populations globally and Chile has seen its exports of honey plunge over the past four or five years.
The South American nation of Chile has been experiencing a severe drought for the last 13 years. This extreme lack of water has led to fewer flowers and, as a result, fewer honeybees.
A drought has gripped Chile for 13 years and the flowers that fed Carlos Peralta's honeybees around the central town of Colina have grown increasingly scarce.
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) A drought has gripped Chile for 13 years and the flowers that fed Carlos Peralta's honeybees around the central town of Colina have grown increasingly scarce. He said he had lost about 300 hives since the start of November and was left with a choice: try to keep the 900 that remained alive with an artificial nectar or move them to a place where flowers and pollen are more abundant.