A young Austrian beekeeper has criticised the food industry for mixing different types of honey.
Nina Friedmann manages two hives in a forest outside the Lower Austrian town of Hollabrunn.
Speaking to the regional newspaper NÖN, the 25-year-old underlines how important a rich variety of pollen sources is for honeybee colonies.
Nina – whose parents turned their back garden into a wildflower meadow – said: “Bees are often fed with sugar water. Many of them never get to see a blooming flower.”
The hobbyist apiarist – who studies biology and chemistry in Vienna – added: “Furthermore, producers acquire other types of honey to blend them.”
Nina took up apiculture around two years ago. However, her first beekeeping experience dates back to her childhood.
Nina told NÖN: “My grandfather was a beekeeper. I’ve always been fascinated by it ever since.”
Nina – who calls beekeeping “an expensive hobby” – reinvests all honey sale incomes into her hives.
Having gained in-depth knowledge about the activity at a university lecture, Nina today spreads the word.
She said: “Bees are astonishing creatures. I could watch them for hours. When I tell my friends about my honeybee colonies, I clearly spark their enthusiasm.”
