Surprisingly good honey harvest: beekeepers cheer despite the weather caps!

Surprisingly good honey harvest: beekeepers cheer despite the weather caps!

A gratifying news for the beekeepers in the Urfahr area district: Despite the turbulent swings and cold phases in spring 2025, the bees surprisingly navigated through these times. As Horst Preinfalk, the chairman of the Reichenthal beekeeper association, reports, the first honey harvest was better than expected this year. "The bees came from the mild winter," said Preinfalk. Especially the warm days in March have made flying the bees, which had a positive effect on the harvest.

This year the dandelion blooms in front of the apple, plum and cherry blossom, which is particularly important for the bees. However, the vegetation is a little later confirmed this year, what Manfred Pointner, chairman in Newlichtenberg, confirms: "The vegetation is three weeks behind the previous year, but honey could already be thrown." Pointner sells his honey in the Glasau warehouse in the municipality of Hellmonsödt.

Current developments in beekeepers

The large beekeeping association newly counts 100 members and manages around 400 beehives. With a rehearsal giver in Lichtenberg, which took place at the weekend, it was shown that the interest in beekeeping is still strong. The proportion of women, which takes a remarkable place in the new lights in the new lights, is particularly gratifying.

The "Stahlstadt beekeepers", a club founded in 2022 with ten members, have also recorded a good harvest. Heinz Mileder, the chairman, reports that they were able to start harvest in mid -May and the earnings were "relatively good". Interestingly, the vegetation in Linz was better this year due to warmer temperatures than in other areas.

climate change and its consequences

The current successes of Austria beekeepers are in the context of a major problem: the effects of climate change on beekeeping. As explained bienenzeitung.ch, extreme weather conditions and frequent change of temperature are an increasing challenge. The shifts in the flower phases of the plants require a rethink among beekeepers. Flowering times that traditionally served as a pillar are no longer reliable.

In addition, early warming not only leads to a changed flower behavior, but also favors the spread of bee pests like the Varroa mite. This problem is also due to the regional difficulties in Butzbach, where extreme weather conditions and the changes in vegetation have affected the honey harvest. Many beekeepers have therefore received lower harvests this year or were not able to spin their honey due to the bad weather conditions, as Landbote.info.

Overall, beekeeping faces major challenges, but the passion and commitment of the beekeepers in the region show that they are willing to face these challenges. It remains to be seen how the coming season will develop and what measures the beekeepers take in order to continue to exist on the flowering market.