Beekeepers across France say it has been a disastrous year for honey, with bees starving to death and production plummeting by up to 80 percent. Mickael Isambert, a beekeeper in Saint-Ours-les-Roches in central France, lost 70 percent of his honey and had to feed his colonies sugar to help them survive after a cold, rainy spring. “It has been a catastrophic year,” said Isambert, 44, who looks after 450 hives.
A beehive typically produces 15 kilos (33 pounds) of honey a year, but this time, Isambert said his farm had only produced between five and seven kilos. When it rains, bees “don’t fly, they don’t go out, so they eat their own honey reserves,” said his co-manager and fellow beekeeper Marie Mior. Low temperatures and heavy rainfall have prevented bees from gathering enough pollen, and flowers from producing nectar - which the insects collect to make honey.
‘Some died of hunger’ Bad weather has affected honey producers countrywide, with spring production dropping by 80 percent in some regions - figures that summer harvests will struggle to offset, said the French national beekeeping union (Unaf). Rainfall rose by 45 percent on the yearly average, Unaf said in a letter to its local branches. “With weather conditions that have been catastrophic in many regions with abundant rain.
.. and low temperatures until late, many beekeepers’ viability is under threat,” said Unaf.
Temperatures stagnated below 18 degrees Celsius (64 Fahrenheit), the minimum temperatu.