This summer has been rainy and cold. It has put beekeepers in a difficult situation. Bees cannot produce as much honey as usual.
The head of the largest beekeeping company in the Baltics, Taavi Tull, says that the honey harvest is half less than in previous years. Bees bring honey in May, June, and early July. But this summer, there was a lot of rain. Bees do not fly in the rain.
Most honey is produced before mid-July. Usually, 90% of honey is produced before that. The remaining 10% is produced later. But this year, the honey harvest is very small.
The chairman of the Estonian Professional Beekeepers' Association, Mario Kalvet, says that this honey year is catastrophic. Beekeepers have to raise the price of honey. Otherwise, they cannot make ends meet. Kalvet believes that this is a general trend in Estonia this year.
The association is collecting information about the situation of beekeepers. They plan to turn to the government for help. Beekeepers hope that the government will help them.