Bee mortality in Ukraine reached 20-25%

Ukraine's bee mortality rate in 2024 was 20-25% due to adverse weather conditions and a decrease in honey plants, a significant increase from pre-war indicators. The high mortality rate is attributed to spring frosts and drought affecting important honey plants, and the introduction of foreign bee breeds with lower disease resistance. The beekeeping industry lacks reliable statistics as only 5% of beekeepers are engaged in industrial production. Unofficial statistics suggest a reduction of bee colonies from 3-3.5 million to about 70% due to the war. The Kiev School of Economics estimates losses from reduced bee colonies at $31.9 million as of December 31, 2023, not including losses from bee product production.

In Ukraine, in 2024, the mortality rate of bees in the controlled territory was 20-25%. This is significantly higher than the pre-war indicators and is explained by adverse weather conditions in spring and summer, which led to a decrease in the area of honey plants. The unpleasant news was reported by the director of the Institute of Beekeeping Volodymyr Postoenko to the Interfax-Ukraine agency. “2024 was a very difficult year for beekeepers due to a sharp change in climate. In spring, acacia is very important for the development of bee colonies. During its flowering, there were frosts throughout Ukraine and the bees did not get acacia honey. There is a problem with another important honey plant - sunflower. Due to drought, its yield is low and it does not secrete nectar. This led to high bee mortality, which in different regions was 15-20%, and sometimes 23-27%. On average for the country, this figure is at the level of 20-25%,” the scientist says. Such a high level of mortality ...