Beekeepers transport hives in February, surrounded by swarms of bees. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Liu Decheng’s bee farm in Yimen county, under the city of Yuxi, Southwest China’s Yunnan province, had been cleared away by Feb. 22, after his death on Feb. 13. Photo: Wei Shumin/Caixin

A beekeeper looks over hives. On Feb. 15, three days after Liu’s death, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced measures to facilitate the transportation of bees. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Beekeeper Chen Zhouhong stares at a bag of sugar at a bee farm in Yuxi on Feb. 21. His last two bags of sugar can only feed Chen’s bees for one night. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

A beekeeper pours sugar water into a hive. Beekeepers whose bees cannot find fresh flowers must feed their swarms with sugar and other pricey pollen substitutes. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Beekeepers load hives onto a truck in Yimen county. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

An elderly couple who have kept honeybees for nearly 40 years stand in their tent. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

A beekeeper prepares to eat propolis, a substance that bees produce to make their hives. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

A beekeeper checks his hives in Chuxiong, Yunnan, as he prepares to travel to find flowers. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

A honeybee died after gathering nectar from flowers that had been sprayed with pesticides. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin