Higher Temperatures Threaten Turkey’s Honeybees and Raw Honey Production

The beekeeping industry has been keeping an eye on the bee colony collapse dilemma, but that has mostly been associated with pesticides until very recently. Now, we are starting to see higher temperatures than normal starting to take a toll.

Beekeepers in Turkey are the latest to report higher temperatures creating some rather challenging conditions for their hives. The Chairman of Turkey’s Northeast Samsun Province Bee Growers Association discussed this issue recently with the Ihlas News Agency.

“In the first evaluations of the year 2018, the air temperatures in Samsun were much higher than the seasonal norms. If the beekeepers do not control their hives on these hot days, the colony could face collapse,” Kaplan stated.

He continued, “As air temperature in Samsun is 10 degrees (18 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than normal, the beekeepers must continually make honey or syrup for their hives. Beekeepers who want to spend the year 2018 efficiently should check their hives often on hot days.”

When the beekeepers are not keeping up with their hives, they start to lose an abnormal amount of bees compared to usual. This is something that has apparently been happening over the last few years. And although the hives have not collapsed, they are producing less honey during this time period than they have in the past.

Kaplan stated, “In 2017, approximately 300,00 tons of honey was produced. The beekeepers harvested an average of 20 kilos of honey per hive. In 2016, honey production was slightly less. The beekeepers produced an average of 17 kilograms of honey per hive. About 100,000 tons of honey was produced for this reason.”

Honey is one of the main products of Turkey. Its product has become very popular among those seeking to gain the benefits of raw honey. That being the case, the lower production of Turkey’s honey will no doubt create an even higher demand for Manuka honey. While the demand for Manuka is already high, this new market could end up putting Manuka honey suppliers at their limit to meet the possible upcoming demand.

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