Hamburg (dpa / lno) – After more and more people in Hamburg had discovered beekeeping as a hobby for themselves, the numbers are now declining again for the first time. “In Hamburg, for the first time in years, we are seeing a slight decline in the number of members,” said Edda Gebel, chairwoman of the Hamburg Beekeepers’ Association, the German Press Agency. A look at the active beekeepers also shows that the decline is even clearer here. According to Gebel, the number of colonies is also decreasing in parallel with the decline in members. Last year, 1126 beekeepers with 5603 bee colonies were counted. In the previous year there were 1154 beekeepers with 5716 colonies.
Gebel does not know any clear reasons for the falling numbers. However, especially in the Corona period, it was not easy for many beekeepers to sell their honey. These marketing difficulties may also have meant that lost colonies were no longer replaced. A change can now also be seen in the basic beekeeping courses: “While in the past almost all course participants started directly with beekeeping, some of the graduates now do without their own beekeeping.”
The time-consuming hobby has become more expensive compared to previous years. For example, the prices for sugar – which is important for feeding the bees in winter – have risen by up to 50 percent as a result of the war in Ukraine. “Bee colonies, wax and varroa remedies had also become considerably more expensive, so that perhaps some colleagues here tried to save.” However, Gebel sees a positive trend in the fact that increasingly reasonable prices are being charged for honey. “On average, 500-gram jars range between six and seven euros. It’s still not enough for a high-quality, handcrafted product. But at least the price is going up.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:230320-99-18090/2
