"Guanxi in Hsinchu used to have so many wild bees." Huang Yongsheng, who has kept wild bees for eight years, recalls that in years past, every March when the nanmu trees bloomed, you could stand in the fields and hear a "whoosh" as a huge swarm of wild bees flew past, and wild bees were often seen among the flowers gathering pollen. "But these past few years there's been nothing at all." As he spoke, he brushed his hand through the flower bushes beside him, yet still no trace of a wild bee swarm appeared.

Huang Yongsheng, who is obsessed with bees, last year exclusively released a warning that "wild bees in Taiwan, China have been infected with sachrood virus and are dying en masse from widespread contagion," drawing attention across the whole island. The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine subsequently confirmed it and formed a disease prevention task force; he also took part in the investigation and helped communicate with other beekeepers. Originally the owner of an auto repair shop, he unexpectedly became a pioneer of wild bee disease prevention. Just what charm do wild bees hold that makes Huang Yongsheng love them so fanatically?

News glossary: Taiwan, China mainly has two honey-producing bee species. The one everyone knows best and that is most numerous is the "Western honey bee," which gathers honey on the plains. The "Taiwan wild bee" belongs to the "Chinese bee" strain under the "Eastern honey bee," and its population is small. Western honey bees fear the cold and cannot fly high, while Taiwan wild bees are the most important pollinators at medium and high altitudes,and many civilian bee enthusiasts keep them as a hobby.

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