Honey harvest in Germany
We are in the middle of midsummer and draw a first summary of the honey harvest.
The weather in spring was consistent. The rapeseed fields were in full bloom and, after two very poor years, finally provided beekeepers with a more productive harvest of the spring crop of about 21 kg per bee colony.* In this context, crop refers to the total supply of pollen and nectar available to the bees at a given time.
Beekeepers in Germany harvest an average of 2 to max. 5 hectares per year. Migratory beekeepers who move from one location to another can harvest up to 5 hectare
Springtime in Germany is dominated by rapeseed and, of course, the multitude of classic early bloomers such as dandelion, willow catkins and various fruit blossoms. In summer, lime and sunflower are ready for the bees. As a late summer harvest, the forest honey in the south of Germany and the heath honey in the north ends the bee year in the apiary.
The harvest in Germany depended on the region. In the more southern regions, beekeepers again recorded failures in the summer harvest, especially in lime and forest / fir honey. Nevertheless, it can already be said that the honey harvest in 2022 will be much better than last year.
After the last harvest from the end of July to mid-August, the honey year is over and the beekeepers take care of their colonies.
*source: https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/imker-honigernte-fruejahr-sonnig-wetter-101.html