---
title: "Beekeepers: This year's harvest could have been better with rain"
url: https://moldova1.md/p/83372/beekeepers-this-year-s-harvest-could-have-been-better-with-rain
published: 2026-08-17T17:00:00Z
language: en
author: "Ana Cebotari"
section: "Economic"
source: moldova1.md
---

# Beekeepers: This year's harvest could have been better with rain

> High temperatures and a lack of precipitation this summer have posed significant challenges for the beekeeping industry. However, for Ion Toma, a beekeeper from the village of Vălcineț in the Călărași district, maintaining the health of his bee colonies is a top priority. This year, he achieved a better harvest compared to the previous season, which had been adversely affected by drought. His successful crops include rapeseed, acacia, and linden.

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/07385efd-05a5-4e37-a8f5-8c180b133ae1.jpg)

High temperatures and a lack of precipitation this summer have posed significant challenges for the beekeeping industry. However, for Ion Toma, a beekeeper from the village of Vălcineț in the Călărași district, maintaining the health of his bee colonies is a top priority. This year, he achieved a better harvest compared to the previous season, which had been adversely affected by drought. His successful crops include rapeseed, acacia, and linden.

To find flowering honey plants, he moves his hives to different regions of the country based on the flowering period and weather conditions. In early spring, he travels farther south, then returns to the Călăraș area and the northern parts of the country, where he seeks sites with plants that provide food for the bees.

This year, he harvested rapeseed, acacia, and lime honey. The harvest was better than last year, which was significantly affected by drought, but this summer's weather was still problematic.

“If there had been rain in the first part of the summer, there could have been more honey. But I think the heat influenced it,” Ion Toma mentioned in an interview for Radio Moldova.

At the end of summer, beekeepers shift their focus from harvesting honey to preparing their hives for winter. Toma explains that he needs to strengthen the hives, so he looks for areas where plants, including sunflowers, are still blooming.

The beekeeper does not feed his bees sugar syrup but instead leaves them honey as food. For a bee colony to survive the winter, Toma states that there should be between 15 and 20 kilograms of honey left in the hive, depending on the colony's strength and the number of frames.

“There should be at least 2-3 kilograms of honey in each frame. If the colony is strong, it will heat the honey and eat. But if the colony is weak, it may die. Bees do not die from the cold; they die from hunger,” he explained to journalist Natalia Mogîldea from Radio Moldova.

For Toma, a good year is not measured solely by the amount of honey harvested. “The health of the colonies is more important. We need to keep the bees healthy and strong,” he says.

**Acacia honey: One of the most expensive varieties**

According to beekeepers, honey prices have not increased significantly overall, and some varieties have even become cheaper. However, acacia honey has seen a slight price increase due to its more challenging production process.

Currently, a kilogram of acacia honey ranges from 70 to 180 lei, depending on the specific product. The most popular varieties remain linden and acacia honey.

Toma, a local beekeeper, emphasizes that it is not always easy for consumers to assess honey quality. One important criterion is the honey's maturity. 

"In fact, very few buyers truly understand what to look for. They mainly rely on the seller, usually the beekeeper. Honey needs to be ripe. If the beekeeper harvests it too early, it remains raw and has a very liquid consistency, similar to water. When it is ripe, it becomes thicker," Toma explained.

He advises consumers to purchase honey from producers they know and trust. "If you've had a relationship with your beekeepers for years, continue to buy from them or have conversations with them," he recommended.

**Beekeeper's Fair in the center of Chisinau**

The square in front of the National Opera and Ballet Theater "Maria Biesu" in Chisinau is currently hosting the Beekeeper's Fair. This event is organized to celebrate National Beekeeper's Day, which takes place annually on August 19, and features a variety of honeys and beekeeping products available to the public.

The Beekeeper's Fair is organized by the National Beekeepers Association of the Republic of Moldova, alongside the Association of Beekeeping Product Exporters.

The fair will continue until Sunday, August 23.