When Finnish Midsummer dawned cold and wet, beekeepers were forced to drastically lower their expectations for this year’s honey crop.
Beekeeping baron Markku Nieminen from Iittala in Hämeenlinna said that following the summer heatwave one beehive now produces 40 to 50 kilograms of honey on average, which can be considered normal output.
Honey producers weren’t the only ones feeling the bite from the early summer cold, rapeseed farmers in the Kanta-Häme region also downgraded their harvest outlook for this year. However July’s warm days ensured that bees were sufficiently fired up to make up for their slow start in June.
Finland’s Beekeepers’ Association estimated that the national honey crop this year will reach just under two million kilos this year, compared to an average 1.8 million kilos annually.
