Rainy spring hurts French honey harvest

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00 It's the precious natural nectar made entirely by one of the world's most hard-working and

00:05 crucial species - bees.

00:08 It's meticulous work to make, but at this apiary in northern France, recent temperamental

00:12 weather has hampered the bee colony's production.

00:15 "In this hive we can see the worker bees and the queen right there.

00:20 She's recognisable as she's a lot bigger than the others.

00:23 Unfortunately they're not making a lot of nectar.

00:26 Normally when I shake the frame we can see it fall."

00:30 Over at the honey house where the nectar is processed, the spring harvest is underwhelming.

00:35 This year quantities are low - almost a third of what it used to be.

00:38 "We've had too much water and too low temperatures which doesn't necessarily mean good pollination

00:44 or that the bees can forage in optimal conditions."

00:47 Due to climate change, beekeepers are being forced to adapt.

00:51 To ensure the longevity of their apiaries, many are now opting for bee breeding to rear

00:56 the queen bees themselves.

00:57 "It's essential to ensure the renewal of our hives.

01:01 A way of dealing with the difficulties that our bees have encountered is to breed them."

01:07 Due to human activity, scientists are worried about the decline in pollinator populations,

01:11 with present bee species extinction rates now 100 to 1,000 times higher than before.

01:17 According to the UN, nearly 90% of global wild flowering plant species depend on animal

01:22 pollination, as well as over 75% of the world's food crops.

01:27 In 2021, the EU was the second largest honey producer in the world after China, making

01:33 up 13% of global production.

01:35 (audience laughing)

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