Vita gazette – For the bees it is still spring and they try to make honey even though it is November. Climate change, the hottest and driest year in living memory, also causes these effects. For the bees it is not yet time to “rest.” And the effects are disastrous.

Now November and in the afternoon and without sun or with these first rains, the bees are operational. Usually, their activity takes place in the warm months and in this period, if the weather conditions allow it, in a time slot that goes from 10 in the morning to one in the afternoon. In recent weeks, however, it can be said that bees have lost their way. Blame the abnormal heat and the fact that the winter plants are blooming early and the summer ones are still green.

In the fields there are flowers that should bloom in December. But they are already in bloom and the bees are trying to stock up for the winter. But they are anomalous blooms, scarce of nectar. The buds, to be ready and charged, must follow a different cycle, with winter frosts that allow to give the right push for flowering in spring. Now the bees are just getting tired, not collecting enough nectar.

This has various repercussions. There is less nourishment for bees, which die or do not reproduce. And then they are more exposed to pathogens: the bees are disoriented; in some cases, they can’t even find the hive and leave it. The drought has also added to this: People have put bowls between the hives to allow the bees to drink.

 All this also translates into economic damage. this year they had half of the nectar and lost 50-60% of production. “The Italian production of honey is just under 8 thousand tons for a value of over 61 million euros, but it must be considered that Istat takes in consideration of beekeeping only on the occasion of the general agricultural censuses. The actual Italian production of honey, according to the estimates of the National Honey Observatory, would amount to over 23.3 thousand tons, about three times that estimated by the Istat.

“Bees severely threatened by climate change are the emblem of a confused ecosystem – comments the president of Cia Venezia Federica Senno – made up of anomalous temperatures and intense atmospheric events. A collective awareness is needed, greater environmental protection as well as adequate ad hoc funds for professional beekeepers. The protection of our planet also involves the conscious choice of purchasing Italian honey, from local beekeepers who care for and protect bees and the environment daily.”