Comvita Honors World Bee Day With Pledge to Save 40 Million Bees Through Bee Rescue Program

Global Leader in Mānuka Honey Increases Last Year's Commitment Fourfold As Third Year of Beehive Rescue Campaign Commences

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Comvita, the leading global Mānuka honey brand, announces its initiative to save 40 million bees throughout the season in celebration of World Bee Day on May 20th. Through Comvita's bee rescue program, now in its third year, the company will support independent beekeepers across the U.S. to relocate at-risk hives that would otherwise be terminated. On the heels of a successful campaign last year, in which the brand saved more than 10 million bees, Comvita is dedicated to increasing its commitment and addressing the problem of rapidly declining bee populations in the United States. Similar to last year's program, Comvita will provide beekeepers with the resources needed to relocate threatened hives, allowing these critical pollinators to flourish.

"Living to our ethos of working in harmony with bees and nature to help heal and protect the world, we are bringing awareness and action to the declining bee population here in the U.S." said Corey Blick, SVP of Comvita North America. "Bee colonies in the U.S. have decreased in volume by nearly 50% in only a few years and the situation is only becoming more dire. With the success of last year's rescue program, we decided to aggressively increase our goal for year three and it is our hope to not only make an impact on bee welfare, but also bring more awareness to the critical role bees play in our ecosystem."

World Bee Day is an internationally recognized day of education and acknowledgement of how critical bees are to the vitality of the world's ecosystem and food supply. Comvita's rescue program provides grants to beekeepers across the U.S. to safely relocate beehives in their local communities, encouraging people to contact beekeepers instead of exterminators when they need a hive removed from a location. This year, Comvita will support beekeepers as they perform 800 beehive relocations throughout the season, allowing some 40 million bees to survive and prosper.

To sustain these efforts, Comvita will provide resources to local beekeepers to maintain the relocated hives to ensure hive health for the long term. Comvita's beekeeper partners will share their experiences and knowledge around best practices across Comvita's social media platforms to drive awareness around the importance of saving bees.

San Diego-based beekeeper and Comvita partner, Hilary Kearney, founder of Girl Next Door Honey, will join the efforts to rescue hives this season alongside fellow beekeepers. "I'm honored to collaborate with Comvita for the third year as we work toward preserving bee habitats and allowing them to thrive. Comvita's commitment to building on years past and expanding its program to rescue and maintain 800 at-risk hives proves their dedication to bee wellbeing."

As a brand known for upholding standards that exceed rigorous certifications for product quality and efficacy, Comvita is greatly revered for its leadership in the Mānuka honey category. Comvita's Mānuka honey is harvested from the forests of New Zealand and is widely recognized as the most premium, pure, well-researched, and sustainably sourced Mānuka available on the market. Comvita's Mānuka honey include Unique Mānuka Factor (UMF) ratings, the industry gold standard backed by the New Zealand government for its verification of quality and potency, to guarantee significant levels of the strongest bioactive compounds within Mānuka.

To learn more about Comvita, visit https://www.comvita.com/world-bee-day follow on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @comvitausa.

About Comvita

Comvita was founded in 1974, with a purpose to heal and protect the world through the natural power of the hive. Comvita is a pioneer and the global leader in Mānuka honey. Publicly traded on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX: CVT), the Company provides wellness-seeking consumers and the medical skincare market with sustainably sourced, Certified UMF™ and MGO-guaranteed raw & wild Mānuka Honey, fully traceable from source-to-shelf. With industry leading certifications, Comvita operates the only IANZ government-accredited laboratory. We are growing industry scientific knowledge on bee welfare, Mānuka trees and the many benefits of Mānuka Honey and bee propolis. We have pledged to be carbon neutral by 2025 and carbon positive by 2030, and we are planting more than two million native trees every year. Comvita North America is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA. To learn more, please visit www.comvita.com.

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SOURCE Comvita