August 24, 2024
“Bees are starving” in a disastrous year for French honey
Beekeepers handling honeycomb frames on a bee farm. — AFP/File Beekeepers across France say it has been a disastrous year for honey, with bees starving and production falling by up to 80%. Mickael Isambert, a beekeeper in Saint-Ours-les-Roches in central France, lost 70% of his honey and had to feed his colonies sugar to help them survive after a cold, rainy spring. “It’s been a devastating year,” said Isambert, 44, who looks after 450 hives. A hive usually produces 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of honey a year, but this time, Isambert said his farm had only produced between five and
