Polish beekeepers warn of poor harvests
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
06.06.2015 14:00
The bee population in the south-western Lower Silesia province is lower by more than 30 percent this season, with beekeepers warning that honey production may also be hit this year.
Photo: pixabay.com
Beekeeper Marek Kowalski, owner of Miody Karkonoskie told the PAP news agency that this year’s first harvest was lower by over 30 percent in year-on-year terms.
“There is a general lack of honey on the market, and this can be seen by trade turnover,” Kowalski said, adding that “more and more honey is entering the Polish market from Ukraine and Belarus – not always legally”.
A hot and dry summer may also affect honey production – as it did last year, when a long dry spell caused a lack of nectar in plants and trees – but bee populations are weaker due to a long winter.
“After last winter the bees are very weak, and even though they are currently working the rapeseed fields, their efficience is much lower,” Kowalski underlined.
The varroosis parasite has also afflicted bee populations, Kowalski said.
There are currently almost 3,000 apiaries in Lower Silesia containing over 60,000 hives. The region is responsible for around 15 percent of all honey produced in Poland, with the province’s heather honey also a registered EU regional product. (jb)