Maine honey bees producing less honey as drought-stricken plants make less nectar
8/16/2022 10:15:30 AM
CATEGORIES:
Business & Industry
Plants & Wildlife
AFFECTED AREAS:
Androscoggin County, ME
Cumberland County, ME
Hancock County, ME
Kennebec County, ME
Knox County, ME
Lincoln County, ME
Penobscot County, ME
Waldo County, ME
Washington County, ME
York County, ME
Start Date: 6/1/2022
- End Date: 8/16/2022
Some honey bee hives in southern and coastal Maine were showing signs of food stress with yellow jackets and hornets robbing honey bee hives. Plants are drought-stressed and were not producing as much nectar or pollen as usual, leaving less for bees to collect and store.
The president of the Maine State Beekeepers Association harvested 300 pounds of honey last summer, but only 100 pounds so far this summer and does not expect to get much more, due to the drought. Plants were also blooming weeks earlier than usual.
Bangor Daily News (Maine), Aug 16, 2022
Sources
