Half-time = peak time

-At the zenith of the bee year-

There is a lot going on with the bees at the moment. Here at our research site in Hungary, we have had summer weather with lots of sunshine for about six weeks now. The population in the beehives is between 25,000 and 50,000 bees per colony for the honey bees. This is the peak season. From the summer solstice onwards, the populations will decline again, very slowly at first.

We are also observing a large number of wild bees, which are making good use of the nesting aids we created and placed last autumn. We have now counted 18 different species.

We attribute this positive development to the fact that a truly flourishing landscape has now developed at our site. A large rosemary hedge was already in bloom in January and was visited by many bees on warm days. This was followed by the flowering of hazelnuts, which are a good source of pollen, or ‘bee bread’. Then the fruit trees began to bloom, which had ideal climatic conditions this year. The thyme was also very popular with the bees. A first highlight was the blossoming of four large maple trees on the property, which began in late April/early May. The buzzing and humming could be heard for many metres for almost three weeks.

After that, the acacia blossoms began to bloom on the adjacent property and other wooded areas within flying range. This was a highlight in terms of honey production.

Following that, the muscatel sage, which has generously self-seeded on the property, continues to bloom to this day. It is particularly popular with carpenter bees (Xylocopa), of which we have observed a large number compared to last year.

The flowers of catnip, open roses, thyme, poppies and many other herbs and perennials round off the selection. Particularly noteworthy is the purple loosestrife, which is visited by many butterflies. We are very happy to be able to offer the bees this great variety, which also has a very beneficial effect on our senses.

maple trees

On 13 April, we invited friends and supporters to celebrate the foundation's 10th anniversary. There were two exciting lectures on bee health and we presented a new research project that aims to make life easier for bees in midsummer by naturally cooling the hive. We will report on this in detail shortly.

The event took place at the home of friends of the foundation on a large estate in Szölösgyörök. We were able to host around 40 guests. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of the event.

One highlight was the presentation of a new image film about the foundation, which received much applause. We will upload the film to this website shortly.

We are looking forward to the coming months and very much hope that it will rain soon after weeks of drought.

Warm regards and be(e) good,

Yours sincerely,

Klaus Heinzel