The crop chosen massively by farmers influences honey production. How weather changes beekeepers' profits
The beekeeping year, which showed good signs in the spring, is in question due to the large temperature variations regarding acacia honey. The first pick instead was good. “At night it should be above 10-11 degrees Celsius.”
Honey production depends on a number of factors PHOTO: Alina Mitran
Acacia and linden honey, among the most coveted in the market, depend this year on the whims of the weather. The bees are in full harvesting season, the beekeepers are doing everything they can for a good production, the right temperature is still needed, says Cosmin Măndică, a well-known beekeeper from Olt county.
The season started relatively well, the first honey collected by bees being rapeseed, a crop that farmers bet on more than in previous years. And consumers have begun to appreciate the qualities of rapeseed honey and seek it out, although the beekeeper says he still gets puzzled looks and the already predictable question: why is it white?
“The first of the year is the picking of fruit trees and then rape. The fruit trees, it was a difficult year, they started late, the canola, depending on how it was cultivated by the farmers, in the southern areas it is already finished, and in the northern areas, where I am also, there are two, three days left. In the same way, the acacia leaves faster in the Calafat area and the Corabia area and as you go up in the interior of the country, towards Curtea de Argeș, we have the 2nd and 3rd harvests. After that, in June it would be the linden. Moldova is a recognized area, as is Dobrogea, the Snagov forest. But linden is capricious, it does not always secrete. And, likewise, it depends on the weather conditions,” said the beekeeper.
Rapeseed honey was the first bee collection FOTo: Cosmin Mandică personal archive
The temperature variation has a lot to say during this period in the area where the beekeeper took his hive, in Vâlcea county. “Everything is white, but at night it's 10 degrees Celsius and the next day the plant doesn't secrete nectar. But everything is white”, added Cosmin Mandică.
Favorable conditions assume a temperature above 10-11 degrees Celsius at night and during the day above 22 degrees. “And no rain”added the beekeeper.
After the acacia harvest, there is a period of rest, during which the bee families are restored.
In the middle of summer, the bees collect polyfloral honey, sunflower being the base, and in August, beekeepers hope for the most sought-after honey, the manna honey.
After each picking of the bees, the honey is extracted.
Who is looking for rapeseed honey
“QDuring this period, we did not extract yet, the weather conditions being very capricious, the bees upset, I took the frames home, replaced them with other frames. It's a lot of work”Cosmin Mandică continued.
Despite all the challenges, the first harvest was promising. “It's a good year for rapeseed. Farmers have massively cultivated rapeseed and wheat, because sunflowers and corn have not yielded in recent years due to the drought. At least in my area, there are farmers who have not planted a single hectare of sunflowers out of 300 hectares,” the farmer said.
Synthetic honey produced by bacteria. The sensational new discovery
Rapeseed honey is still little known to consumers PHOTO: Alina Mitran
Rapeseed honey, the production of which will be good regardless of the area, given the large cultivated areas, began to be known and sought after in the market.
“They seek it for the therapeutic part, for the benefits of honey, especially on the renal system. Like any type of honey, it has benefits for the stomach, digestion, and respiratory system. There are general benefits, to which are added those specific to the type of honey. (…) Rapeseed honey is preferred because it is spreadable, it is used in current consumption, and because it is known as neutral honey. It doesn't change the taste of coffee, for example, I highly recommend it, I use it for this. Those who know it request it, but I was also surprised to meet people who have never tasted it, never seen it. He asks why she is white. And the moment I see it spreadable, I say – wait, honey is spreadable, it has those bigger crystals. And I tell them – no, that's polyflora honey”said the beekeeper.
The price of honey, on the other hand, has been unchanged for at least three years, the beekeeper claims. “it is the same, and if you look a little at the level of inflation, it has increased by at least 50%”, Mandică also specified.
The beekeepers have hopes that their appeal to the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture will finally bring them support. They have called for support for bee families to be given like support for other sectors in agriculture, and the signals are that they may finally get a support / bee family, an amendment in parliament launched to this effect, passing the Committee on Agriculture.
Manna honey is obtained at the end of summer, but not all beekeepers are lucky PHOTO: A. Mitran
Honey production also depends on the partnership that beekeepers must have with farmers. It is a period when the latter, in turn, face various challenges and are obliged to treat their crops, or the lack of synchronization between them and the beekeepers can compromise an apiary.
“The farmer-beekeeper relationship is essential. There are farmers who proceed exactly as the law says, with notice to the town hall, 48 hours in advance. But I, when I went there with the beehives, I was at the town hall, I was at the police station, I followed the procedure exactly. The advantage is that the farmer in the area I have been going to for 15-16 years is also a man who understands the importance of the bee. (…) it must be understood that these people do not plant technical crops to be honeydew mass. It's their business. This year was good and the treatments were somewhat less intensive because the winter frosts stopped the pests from developing so much. But always farmer-farmer cohabitation is the most beneficial”, concluded the beekeeper.
