Honey yield stung by bad weather, beekeepers association says

Beekeepers in southern Ontario say they expect honey production to decrease significantly due to bad weather this year.

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"When the sun doesn't shine, the bees don't fly as much," said Dan Davidson, who keeps bees in Lambton County and is also the president of the Ontario Beekeepers Association.

Davidson explained bees prefer hot and dry weather, and it has been anything but that this summer.

Paul Kozac, and apiary specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, agrees that weather hasn't been great for honey production this year.

"If you have cold rainy conditions, the bees just like people don't like to go out in the wet and the rain," he said.

But honey production in Ontario has been in decline overall the last few years.

In 2013, beekeepers harvested 27 kilograms of honey per colony, about half the yearly average.

This winter's polar vortex has destroyed hives around the province.

Kozac said there are still a few weeks to go before honey season is over.

"Honey bees can actually make a lot of honey in a short period of time if they have a healthy and populous colony and if the nectar supply is out there in the field," he said.

The honey harvest wraps up in October.