In France, bees also suffered from the drought

For honey production in France, the years pass for the worst, rarely for the best. One culprit: the weather. According to the French National Beekeeping Union (Unaf), production in 2022 should be between 12.000 and 14.000 tons. It is true that this campaign is better than the catastrophic one in 2021, which had less than 10.000 tons, but it is far from the year 2020, which reached 20.000 tons. And that's not even mentioning the end of the 1990s, when French production maintained annual rates of 30.000 tons of honey.

This year, the mild winter and then the mild spring boded well for a good harvest, although in some regions drought was already the problem. With mild temperatures, bees were able to benefit from the spring flowers (May, June and July), except in the Southeast, where the water deficit had already been felt since the beginning of winter (December to February). On the other hand, acacia blooms were excellent, as is the case in Burgundy or Île-de-France, or non-existent, for example, in the Southwest, where the flowers were wiped out, sometimes for the third year in a row, by late frosts. , indicates a statement from Unaf published on October 10, 2022.

Unaf explains that "climate changes, felt by beekeepers for fifteen years, are there. Flowerings are increasingly earlier and faster. Faced with a persistent drought, starting in July, in many places, the season is over, whereas previously it was spread over several weeks in the summer".

Southern species such as rosemary, thyme and garrigue suffered from drought from the beginning, as did lavender; the honey harvests were extremely disappointing. Mountainous areas were not spared by this "waterless" climate. And in the Southwest, beekeepers were also faced with fires.

On the other hand, alfalfa and sainfoin areas have been more beneficial, thanks to the species' ability to resist drought. As in Brittany and Île-de-France, feedback from the field seems quite satisfactory. The concern is therefore real for beekeepers. Reservations for the winter are more than limited. Considering predation by Asian and European wasps, beekeepers are already wondering whether their hives will survive the coming winter.