Millions of bees lost in Collserola

Sant Cugat beekeeper Èric Barbero, who runs the sustainable beekeeping project Melvida, has issued an urgent appeal to regional and local administrations after reporting the near-total destruction of his 12 apiaries in the Collserola Natural Park. On Saturday 14th November 2026, Barbero confirmed that the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) has wiped out nearly 200 of his 250 hives, each housing around 50,000 bees, amounting to millions of dead bees. "A completely exterminated apiary by the Asian hornet. Thousands of dead bees. Years of effort, dedication, and work destroyed," Barbero said, describing the scene at his Valldoreix site as a "bee cemetery, a barbarity." The Asian hornet was first detected in the park in 2018, according to the Barcelona City Council’s ecological transition department.

Economic and ecological toll

Barbero estimates his economic losses at €80,000. However, he stresses that the greater loss is ecological. "It's not just that we won't get honey, which is the least of it. They are pollinators," he said. Each surviving bee can visit up to 1,000 flowers per day within a 2-3 kilometre radius, making their decline a direct threat to local biodiversity. The few remaining hives are in a severely weakened state. "All the bees in Collserola are in danger," Barbero warned. He began observing Asian hornets six years ago, and their spread has since grown exponentially, culminating in what he calls "total collapse."

Call for coordinated forest action

Barbero is calling for a coordinated strategy from the Generalitat, the Collserola Natural Park authority, the Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona), the Metropolitan Area, and local councils including Sant Cugat. He criticises current efforts as too urban-focused, arguing that eradication must target forest areas where the hornets reproduce. "Let's stop with Asian hornet control companies that only focus on urban areas. The problem appears in the forests, which is where they reproduce. We have to attack the origin," he urged. He cited the resources deployed against wild boar overpopulation as proof that effective intervention is possible when political will exists.

"We have an invasion. The time has come to give a voice to the bees. It is unsustainable, a very catastrophic situation.", Èric Barbero, Melvida beekeeper

Threat to local honey and education work

The crisis now endangers the continuity of Collserola honey, a locally cherished product. "People from Sant Cugat, we don't have Collserola honey," Barbero lamented. "To have such a special product and lose it is a shame. It's a natural, responsible product, made with a lot of love." Despite the setbacks, Melvida’s educational branch, Melvida Educa, will allow the project to survive. The initiative offers school visits and environmental awareness activities, combining beekeeping with conservation education. This is not the first challenge Barbero has faced. In February 2025, he reported €30,000 in losses after vegetation vital for bee forage was cleared near La Rierada, an action attributed to the Generalitat and described by officials as a worker error.

Sources: TOT Sant Cugat, Diputació de Barcelona.