Reuters writers Hallie Gu and Shivani Singh reported recently that, “Beekeepers in China, the world’s top honey producer, are bracing for a bleak start to the key spring pollinating season as travel curbs aimed at containing a coronavirus outbreak keep them at home while their bees go without food for weeks.”
The article noted that, “Bees missing the flowering phase of plants due to virus-related curbs, together with a drop in bee numbers, threatens to hurt the livelihood of China’s 300,000 beekeepers as well as the output of honey and crops that rely on bees for pollination.”
“China makes about 500,000 tonnes honey annually, or about a quarter of global output, making it the world’s top producer,” the Reuters article said; adding that, “It exports more than 100,000 tonnes to places like Europe and the United States.
“But the outlook for production is grim this year.”
