The spring honey harvest (acacia, wildflowers) in Ukraine is almost non-existent this year. Even where it has been collected, the harvest is one of the worst in recent years. This was reported by the head of the board of directors of “Pasika 21” Serhiy Sharonin.
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“Often after the collection (removal from the bees), beekeepers have to feed the bees so that they can reach the second wave of flowering without losing their brood,” he noted.
Firstly, this is the consequence of the dry 2024 year, emphasized Serhiy Sharonin. Moisture reserves in the soil were at a minimum. There was practically no spring flood. In the central and southern parts of Ukraine, the level of groundwater this year remains quite low.
Secondly, very strong and prolonged late spring frosts played a negative role.
“In our region (Cherkasy region), the flowers and ovaries of almost all trees froze. Fruits are either completely absent or only a few percent of the usual amount,” Serhiy Sharonin pointed out. “Winter crops of many crops were also affected. Acacia, one of the most important honey plants, suffered frost damage.”
Thirdly, when the acacia did eventually recover and bloom after the warming, heavy rains in many regions washed away the nectar. Bees had only a few days for active honey collection from the acacia.
Fourthly, there were significant losses of bee colonies during the winter, added Serhiy Sharonin.
“In our apiary, bees winter in a specially created wintering house with a controlled microclimate, so the overall bee losses from the end of the 2024 season to the beginning of the 2025 season are only 4.7%. But in many beekeepers who wintered outdoors, bees started spring development too early. Somewhere this led to the loss of brood, somewhere to a lack of feed before the first collection. And all this against the background of mass bee infestations by mites due to the difficult conditions of the previous year,” he explained.
This situation is not only in Ukraine but also in all of Eastern Europe.
Furthermore, fifthly, in Ukraine, bees are often mass poisoned by plant protection products, Serhiy Sharonin stated.
The second period of honey collection has already begun in some places.
“This year, buckwheat was sown very little. Sunflower remains. From the perspective of honey exports, this is one of the most important honey plants, like acacia. But the price for this type is one of the lowest. To even slightly balance the situation, a truly record harvest is needed,” he emphasized.
Moreover, the weather in the middle of the season still does not resemble typical Ukrainian summer. The risks of a crop failure have sharply increased.
“Beekeepers fear both a lack of moisture during the vegetation period and rains with cold weather during the peak of honey collection,” Serhiy Sharonin noted. “It is already evident that Ukrainian beekeeping has suffered significant economic damage.”