The Minister for Agriculture Anton Refalo, through a parliamentary response, said that there are currently 272 registered beekeepers with the Directorate for Veterinary Regulation: 69 in Gozo and 203 in Malta. This means an increase of 62% in the number of registered beekeepers when compared to the period 2004-2006 (168 beekeepers).
Unfortunately, there is no detailed information on the origin of the registered bee colonies. We advise that the directorate, along with the list of beekeepers, colonies/ nucs, and locality, also starts to take note of the origin of the bees (based on what the beekeeper knows). This information, in the future, should serve as the basis for an action aimed towards the holistic conservation of the Maltese Bee.
The Maltese Bee is an endemic subspecies of the Honey Bee that exists only in the Maltese islands. The sustainability of the beekeeping sector in our country depends entirely on the rearing of this ecotype!
ℹ️ Sources:
https://newsbook.com.mt/203-nahhal-registrat-fmalta-69-fghawdex/
https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/farming/animal-products/honey_en
https://nso.gov.mt/en/Pages/NSO-Home.aspx
Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese Honey Bee 
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