Sweet summer for Finnish Lapland’s beekeepers
Recent warm weather may lead to a positive bee season for coastal Lapland. Key to honey production is willow herb flowers blooming at the same time as beehives are at their most active.
This year’s bee season is predicted to be better than last year’s, which suffered low honey production owing partly to rainy weather.
”For honey, the willow herb flowers are the most important plant – if they flower at the same time that the bees are most active, the honey yield will be good,” says Markku Mykkälä, vice chairman of Länsi-Pohjan Mehiläishoitajat ry, the association of beekeepers in Northwestern Finland.
“The early spring weather was cold and despite the recent warm weather, it’s still not certain what type of weather we’ll have this summer,” says Mykkälä.
In coastal Lapland (Northwestern Finland), almost all of the honey is collected during a period of five weeks — from Midsummer to the end of July.
Finnish Lapland recently recorded temperatures of 29 degrees Celsius, which is unusually high for the region.
Related Links:
Finnish Lapland sets heat record, Yle News
