An unusually cold spring with lots of rain had devastating effects on honey and fruit harvest volumes, an Austrian beekeeper has confirmed.
Wolfgang Fenz manages several honeybee colonies in Wöllersdorf near Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria.
The 67-year-old apiculture enthusiast, who also harvests fruit, said the many long stretches of pouring rain in April and May had made it impossible for his bees to pollinate.
And Wolfgang emphasised this had not just caused a decline in honey production volumes. He told the local NÖN newspaper: “It also affected the fruit harvesting. We hardly had any apricots, pears and cherries this year.”
The honey farm owner added that the honeybee hives he and his family are managing in their free time held around 30 per cent less honey this season compared to the last few years.
Wolfgang nevertheless praised his colonies saying: “Our bees are achieving great things. They do not only provide pollen, honey and propolis. Their pollination guarantees fruit and veg harvests.”
Propolis is a resin that bees produce. It contains a mixture of bee saliva, beeswax and substances from plants. Propolis can allegedly help to treat minor wounds, cold sores and allergies. However, the effectiveness of propolis usage has been contested.
For most of Austria’s apiarists, beekeeping is a leisure activity. They are in charge of more than 450,000 colonies. Upper Austria is the region with the highest number of beekeepers. Lower Austria, where Wolfgang is based, is home to 5,000 apiarists.
