Many beekeepers in the Austrian State of Salzburg have failed to harvest any honey this summer, it has been revealed.
Leopold König – who heads the Hallein Apiculture Association – said that especially small honey farms had been affected the worst by the unusually cold and rainy conditions this spring.
Leopold told the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper: “Beekeepers who own hives at different locations and on various altitudes look back on a normal harvesting period.”
He added: “But many of those who manage just one apiary could not extract any honey.”
Underlining the fragile balance of biodiversity and weather conditions, Leopold claimed: “Overall though, it could have been worse.”
The Salzburger Nachrichten reports that other beekeepers in the region had noticed a significant decline in harvesting volumes but also praised the quality of the honey.
One colony of domesticated western honeybees consists of 20,000 to 50,000 animals.
Around 2,700 residents of Salzburg engage in apiculture. In 2021, they were in charge of more than 20,200 hives.
