MERIDA, May 2. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Professional Association of Extremadura Beekeepers (Apaex) has warned of an "uncertain" honey production after facing an "overwhelming swarm" between March and April in bee farms in the region.

Professional beekeepers have been able to replenish their hives due to this "overflowing swarm" and compensate for winter losses after several campaigns of "many difficulties" to achieve it in a "satisfactory" way.

Thus, in a press release Apaex states that the spring 2024 beekeeping campaign is close to ending with "very advanced" pastures and soil blooms that require more stable and uniform temperatures in the next month of May for honey collection. , which "is still uncertain due to the climatological volatility that occurred during the month of April."

In fact, he points out that the pollen campaign closes with a 60 percent loss compared to the production of a normal year, "making it difficult to comply with fresh pollen contracts and reducing the supply available to the dry pollen market."

Despite the "positive replenishment of the hive census" the group fears for the final result, given that the "viability of the queens' fertilization always entails a significant percentage of hives that remain unfertilized (zanganeras), in a period where the bee-eater population begins to grow and put pressure on settlements throughout the entire region.

Regarding the need to supplement the bees with food, as an "essential" tool for the survival of the hives, the association indicates that this campaign has been "similar" to previous years, because it allows the negative health impact of the Varroa and mitigate its "high mortality."