The voice of Ukrainian beekeeping on the world stage: from apiary rescue to global recovery strategies
Tetyana Vasylkivska For the NGO All-Ukrainian Brotherhood of Beekeepers of Ukraine, which has been operating since 2005, the war has become the biggest challenge, but it has not stopped our development. Today, we are not just protecting war-affected apiaries - we are shaping the global agenda in the industry.
Ukraine is a key expert and leader in the preservation of bees in conflict zones
The All-Ukrainian Brotherhood of Beekeepers of Ukraine continues to represent Ukraine at the most prestigious international platforms. In September 2025, at the 49th Apimondia International Beekeeping Congress in Copenhagen (Denmark), we not only presented Ukrainian beekeeping, but also initiated global changes to preserve bees in the world.
It is our organization, the All-Ukrainian Brotherhood of Beekeepers of Ukraine, as a full member of the International Apimondia Federation (headquartered in Rome, Italy). Rome, Italy) was the first in the world to organize and hold the International Round Table "Ways to restore beekeeping after the loss of bees due to natural disasters, catastrophes, poisoning and military operations" within the framework of the 49th Apimondia Congress in Copenhagen, involving the leading beekeeping associations of the planet. The main topic is the development and discussion of mechanisms for preserving bees that die due to natural disasters, catastrophes and wars. Our unique experience and, unfortunately, the tragic experience of restoring apiaries during hostilities are now being studied by colleagues from all over the world.
Charity Fund "Help on Bee Wings": Our Mission 2025 - 2026
To systematize the assistance to Ukrainian beekeepers to restore their apiaries destroyed by the war, we have created the Charity Fund "Help on Bee Wings".
Our work is about rebuilding Ukraine through ecosystem preservation and social support:
- Protecting the rear of soldiers. We help families where a beekeeper serves in the Armed Forces. Our task is to keep their beekeeping business alive and working until they return home.
- Supporting unbreakable women In 2025-2026, more and more women are taking responsibility for apiaries. We provide their apiaries with packages of bees, bee feed, bee medicines, equipment and professional support.
- Chance for IDPs. Beekeepers who have lost everything due to the occupation receive a "complete package" from the "Help on Bee Wings" Charitable Foundation to start in a new place: hives, bee colonies, feed and preparations for bees, equipment and supplies. Restoration of apiaries means pollination of gardens and fields, which is critical for food security and the overall economic revival of Ukraine.
Under the "Help on Bee's Wings" program, our Foundation carries out the following work:
- Informing Ukrainian beekeepers about assistance in restoring apiaries destroyed by military operations. The information was disseminated through specialized communities in Viber, Telegram, Facebook.
- Addressing beekeepers to register through a survey in the "Register of destroyed apiaries due to military aggression of the Russian Federation" created by the Foundation and send information about the condition of the apiary and the need for assistance in restoration, etc.
- Analysis of available questionnaires and materials from beekeepers from the "Register of destroyed apiaries due to military aggression of the Russian Federation".
- Selection of participants in the assistance program, beekeepers who were subsequently provided with assistance.
- Dissemination of information about the Bee Wings Program and its partners and donors on international and national platforms.
- Preparation of reports.
World solidarity: from Canberra to Stockholm, from the United States to Japan
The activities of our "Bee's Wings" Foundation have united the hearts of people on different continents. We feel incredible support from charitable organizations, diplomatic corps, business and professional community:
- American Solidarity: Our long-term partners Greater Good Charities show more than just solidarity in their cooperation with us. We are already like family - we visit Ukrainian apiaries affected by the war, meet with affected beekeepers, and together we formulate budgets and opportunities to keep people working and save bees. The unique experience we gain through our cooperation with Greater Good Charities continues to help us to fulfill the complex tasks of helping beekeepers. Mann Lake, as a world leader in the beekeeping industry, provides bee feed that makes it possible to improve the condition of bee families and get good results in their recovery and development.
- Belgian solidarity: A special role is played by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Canberra (Australia), the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Ukraine. Thanks to their initiative and charity events (such as the annual be.fair), we receive resources to support beekeepers affected by the war.
- Swedish Brotherhood: We are actively supported by Swedish beekeepers from the Wermdö Skeppslags Biodlarförening (WSB) association, who understand the problems of beekeepers who lose bees and property and are ready to help.
- Japanese solidarity: Yamada Bee Farm stood with us to help beekeepers who lost everything to get equipment, bees, hives and everything they need to start a new apiary in new places. We are currently working with Yamada Bee Farm to support the veteran project.
- Slovenian support: The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Kyiv supports us in providing bee products to affected beekeepers to speed up the recovery of bee families in the affected apiaries.
- Ukrainian solidarity:
- Professional beekeeping communities and individual beekeepers from Poland, Romania, Germany, Japan support and help restore the bee population in Ukraine to preserve the environment and human life. They know how hard it is for a beekeeper to see bees die and how difficult it is to start an apiary from scratch again. Therefore, their solidarity has our utmost respect.
Live story: an apiary waiting for an owner
Beyond every report are human lives. During our mission in Mykolaiv region, we met a mother of a soldier who takes care of her son's farm alone. In a story on Suspilne TV, she said: "My son went to war and asked: "Mom, save the apiary, I will come back and we will continue." I thought everything would fall into decay, but I'm trying because it's his life." It is for such families that we work. Helping them with food and medicine is our joint contribution with our partners to the peace of mind of a soldier on the front line fighting for his home.
Veteran program: the foundation is laid
Thanks to the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Kamber, Japanese business and the Wermdö Skeppslags Biodlarförening association, we have developed a program for the rehabilitation of veterans through beekeeping and started the process of its implementation. This program, VRAMA - Veterans Reintegration through Beekeeping and Agriculture, aims to turn beekeeping into a livelihood and inclusive recovery tool for veterans in the extraordinary conditions we are currently experiencing in Ukraine. This is a ready-made methodology of "rehabilitation by work", rehabilitation through working with bees. Each beehive for a veteran is a path to his or her social adaptation and psychological peace.
Our results for 2025 and early 2026
Thanks to our partners Greater Good Charities, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Kyiv, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Kamber and the Wermdö Skeppslags Biodlarförening association, 410 beekeepers received assistance, who keep about 27,000 bee colonies in Mykolaiv, Kherson, Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.
The beneficiaries include both men and women who live at their place of permanent registration and those who have the status of internally displaced persons. Beekeepers with the status of parents with many children, combatants, and people whose relatives serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine are also among the recipients of assistance.
The work of the "Help on Bee's Wings" charity foundation is not just about helping to restore apiaries. It is also about maintaining employment in communities, strengthening their socio-economic recovery and making a significant contribution to environmental protection. In addition, the international beekeeping community receives reliable information about the challenges faced by Ukrainian beekeepers during the war, as well as about the measures taken with the support of partners and donors to preserve beekeeping in Ukraine and protect national biodiversity.
Beekeeping is a symbol of our resilience. We call on philanthropists and the international community to support our initiatives in 2026."
Tetyana Vasylkivska, Chairman of the Board of the All-Ukrainian Brotherhood of Beekeepers of Ukraine, founder of the Charity Foundation "Help on Bee Wings", Vice President of the European Beekeeping Association (EBA)
The author's opinion may not coincide with the editorial opinion. The author is responsible for the quotes, facts and figures given in the text.