Busy times start for Estonia's beekeepers

The spring rush has begun in Estonia's apiaries: willows are in bloom, bees are gathering pollen and beekeepers are carrying out their spring hive inspections. How well the bees survived the winter can vary significantly from region to region.

Professional beekeeper Lembit Liin from Koeru was pleasantly surprised when he inspected his first bee colony on Tuesday.

"The bees wintered very well and have eaten about half of their winter feed. But in my experience, the greatest risk of hunger often comes at the end of May, when the weather is unpredictable," Liin said.

Liin praised this spring, noting that the bees were able to take their cleansing flights already during the warm weather in March. True, the beginning of April brought another cold spell.

"With that first warm cycle, the colony began to develop — and develop actively. The queen started laying more eggs. But the cold, chilly weather and snow put the brakes on nature. And now that the nice weather has returned, there's plenty of brood in the colonies, including sealed brood. Young bees are already emerging," Liin explained.

But not all beekeepers have had the same good fortune. Hobbyist beekeeper Heino Kuusmann from Köisi village discovered this spring that 10 of his 14 bee colonies had perished.

Whereas the Agricultural Registers and Information Board (PRIA) used to provide universal support for bee colonies — including those of hobbyist beekeepers — this year that funding was cut due to budget constraints. However, beekeeping enterprises contributing to food security are still eligible for support.

"This year's funding amounts to about half a million euros. The state's goal is to support food producers — that is, beekeeping enterprises. These include private limited companies, public limited companies and sole proprietors who have at least 16 bee colonies registered with PRIA," said Helen Michaels, chair of the Estonian Beekeepers Association.

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