A difficult Summer

It has been a very difficult summer for a beekeeper. A lot of beekeepers have reported colonies dying and of producing very little honey.  This is probably due to the weather.

I did manage a harvest although much reduced compared to previous years. Luckily, I did not lose more colonies than I anticipated but it is always miserable to see another empty hive without knowing the reason why the bees disappeared or died. There is always a nagging question: what have I done or not done. It is of little comfort to find that I am not alone. According to the French Government Info about 30% of the bee population disappears each year in France.