Too warm winters, spring frosts, increasingly frequent extreme weather events are not liked and are not good for bees. “Never like this year – comments the owner Andrea Bianco – we are closely observing the damage to beekeeping and honey production caused by climate change, which now represents a greater danger than pesticides and herbicides.”

The last winter season was characterized by a shorter duration and higher than average temperatures. For bees, this translates into about thirty more days of “work”, which compromises their health.

The repeated spring frosts and extreme events we have witnessed in recent months – hailstorms, water bombs and droughts – have interrupted the flowering of many plants, on which honey production depends.

In particular, “the frost between 6 and 8 April – explains Andrea Bianco – affected the entire season, stopping the ongoing spring blooms, such as cherry and dandelion, and freezing the buds of acacia and mountain plants between 600 and 1000 meters. An extreme event that has compromised months of flowering and caused serious difficulties and additional costs in the management of bees.”

In fact, when the temperature drops below 10°C, the bees “cross their legs”. If the bees do not fly, not only do they not perform the function of pollinators, but they also do not collect the nectar necessary for their nourishment and honey production.

In most of Italy, the anomalous cold of April and May has therefore made it necessary to feed the bees in the hives with “baby bottles” to keep them alive, waiting for the temperatures to return to the average and allow flight and independent feeding.