Unseasonable weather in Turkey is expected to reduce honey production by 35 to 40 percent this year, a top executive of the country's leading beekeeping union has said.
Speaking to the Anatolia news agency on Tuesday, Turkish Beekeepers' Association (TAB) Vice President Ziya Şahin stated that the most important causes of a huge drop in honey production are the below-average temperatures and persistent rains in the country, which have led bees to stay in their hives. "Because of unseasonable weather in the country, no honey has been produced in western Turkey. We expect that yearly production will drop by 35 to 40 percent," he said. "The bees were lazy and did not leave their hives because of the unseasonable weather conditions, resulting in low production."
As a natural outcome of a drop in supply, the price of honey is expected to rise this year. However, honey producers also have the option to not pass price increases on consumers, as this would likely affect honey sales.
Moreover, Şahin said they do not expect a fall in the production of honeydew honey; however, he underlined that they need to wait until the end of July to see if there will be no real drop in honeydew production. "If the current temperature and humidity continues to the end of July, we will not witness a fall in the production of honeydew honey," he added.
Honeydew refers to honey produced by bees collecting nectar exuded from other insects, such as aphids or scale insects. It is quite common in a number of countries, including Turkey, mainly in the province of Muğla. Typically honeydew has lower levels of glucose and fructose and higher levels of complex sugars due to extra enzymatic action in the sap-sucking insect's gut. Due to the reduced levels of glucose, honeydew does not normally crystallize and also has a high mineral content, which is measured as high conductivity -- this measurement being the main method of differentiating honeydew in the laboratory, Cihan News Agency reported.
/World Bulletin/