Bees are immensely important to nature when they pollinate plants while collecting nectar. Honey is also a sales product for beekeepers. But the weather is crucial for yields.
Germany’s beekeepers harvested less honey this year due to all the rain. On average, each bee colony weighed 31.6 kilograms, 5.1 kilograms less than in the previous year, according to two surveys conducted by the Bees and Beekeeping Specialist Center among 14,816 beekeepers. In previous years the quantity value was sometimes higher and sometimes lower than now determined. In 2021 it was only 18 kilos – back then the bad weather had even more serious consequences.
When it rains, bees stay in the hive and do not collect nectar. “Due to the weather, the harvest volume in 2024 was only average: neither good nor bad, it is roughly in line with the long-term average,” says specialist center manager Christoph Otten. Beekeepers in western and southern Germany in particular had to struggle with the consequences of the rainfall. Things were better in East Germany. “The further east you went in Germany, the better the weather conditions were for honey production.”
Aphids provide “cement honey”
In parts of Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate, the so-called melezitose honey, also known as cement honey, also appeared: The honey in the honeycomb suddenly becomes so hard that it is very difficult to get it out.
However, beekeepers cannot simply leave it in the hive as food because, unlike normal honey, the insects cannot absorb and digest it. The melezitose honey is due to a certain species of aphid that was more common in some regions this year than in previous years.
There are an estimated 1.1 million bee colonies and 170,000 beekeepers in Germany. The vast majority of them do this as a hobby or as a sideline. The Bees and Beekeeping Specialist Center is responsible for the industry survey, which is divided into a survey on the early harvest, i.e. the spring harvest, and a survey on the summer harvest.
Price only increases slightly
German beekeepers primarily sell their honey to colleagues at their front door and at their main workplace, such as the office. The honey is also available in supermarkets and weekly markets. The price varies depending on the variety and region, roughly speaking it is six to eight euros for a 500 gram jar – with fluctuations up and down. According to the survey, a jar of German honey has increased in price by a good 2 percent this year. According to the information, inflation in this niche industry weakened significantly: in 2022 the price rose by 6.5 percent and in 2023 by 5 percent.
Bee expert Otten is surprised at the moderate price development this year. “The costs continue to rise significantly, for example for sugar feed. And beekeepers have to pay significantly more for the glasses than before.” In autumn and winter the bees are fed sugary food because the food they originally collected – honey – was taken away from them.
“The honey prices barely cover the production costs, so from that point of view they should be higher,” says Otten. The fact that prices have only increased moderately is probably due to the fact that beekeeping is just a hobby for the vast majority of beekeepers. “The recreational beekeeper is not a sales professional, and he is happy when his jars of honey are sold to him.”
Source: Stern
