An Austrian beekeeper has compared his passion with a game of luck as the pollinators’ activities are increasingly affected by erratic weather conditions.
Franz Kogler is one of the 33,000 residents of Austria who engage in apiculture.
Based in the small Styrian town of Obgrün, Franz manages 50 honeybee colonies in his free time.
Speaking about the current circumstances, Franz told the Kleine Zeitung newspaper: “Each year is like a game of roulette. You won’t be able to evaluate the season’s output until its very end.”
The vast majority of Austrian apiarists are hobbyists. Asked how they can adapt to issues such as unpredictable changes in the weather, Franz said: “You have to be a spontaneous character with strong nerves.”
There are around 3,900 beekeepers among the 1.3 million residents of Styria.
Only the states of Upper Austria and Lower Austria register more professional and hobbyist apiarists.
The Austrian Agriculture Ministry says that 4,100 tonnes of honey were produced in the country in the 2020/2021 business year.
With 456,000 honeybee colonies, Austria – which has nine million inhabitants – was ranked 13th among the EU-27 in the European Commission’s 2021 hive statistics.
One colony of domesticated western honeybees consists of 20,000 to 50,000 individuals.
The existence of domesticated and solitary bees is at risk due to the excessive application of insecticides, habitat loss caused by construction projects and global warming.
