We receive and publish a press release from the president of the Lucanian beekeepers’ association:
“A large part of the territory is affected byabsence of last year’s rains, so all the spontaneous blooms, such as rosemary and sulla, are practically absentwith the exception of small patchy areas, precious at least for the sustenance of the hives, but only for a lucky few.
At the same time, the registration of above average temperatures in the winter monthsresulted in early flowering throughout the fruit and vegetable sector, so citrus fruits, which represent the first important honey harvest of the year, were already in flower in the second half of March, when families are not yet ready to take to the super.
Then halfway April the defeat. The sharp drop in temperatures it literally stopped the nectar production of plants; citrus fruit blooms, then acacia flowers, then clover again, were not even sufficient to satisfy the needs of the hives most populated with bees, which in some cases found their death.
So we immediately run for cover, with emergency feeding for hives and new bee families. Those who practice nomadic beekeeping move the bees to other areas, but the result does not change.
The month of May was characterized by heat peaks and a substantial rainfall deficit with medium-high severity drought conditions, especially in the long term.
In this environmental panorama, the production trend shows a rather disheartening situation, at least until now.
Practically absent the spring honey harvests preceding the blooms of acacia and citrus fruits, with some exceptions limited to a few areas on a limited number of hives, where some small harvests were obtained.
The harvests of acacia, especially honey which is essential for the income of companies, are extremely scarce.
Compromised crops with very low yields even for citrus honey.
Unfortunately, the Sulla honey harvest also gave very poor results, sometimes due to the lack of emergence of the plants due to the winter drought, sometimes because despite the presence of flowers there were no conditions for the production of nectar or for harvesting by of bees.
It should be underlined that to keep families in good health and able to produce, but often also to literally save them from starvation due to the total absence of nectar flows, beekeepers had to intervene with emergency nutrition, so continuous and abundant.
In some areas, a greater incidence of nutritional stress diseases has been reported.
THEThe beekeeping sector is literally on the ground, after two years with reduced production, companies are having difficulty paying salaries, and budgets are increasingly at a loss, forcing many beekeepers to close or downsize.
We are well aware that the State has allocated funds for the reimbursement of insurance premiums for damage from climatic events, but at present no institute wants to insure beekeepers and their production.
In this scenario, the Lucanian Beekeepers Association wants to act as a voice and be close to those who are currently struggling to sustain the fate of their business reality.
We are asking for a crisis table at the Agriculture department of the Basilicata Region to support and protect, at least in part, both the production and the beekeeping heritage”.
