Honey Shortage

Honey Shortage is happening both in the United States and around the world. A new villain has emerged. We now have Bee Rustlers. In just a few weeks, Ramon Townsend, the 4th generation in his family to raise bees, has lost $92,000 worth of hives Yes, folks, we have a new generation of old fashioned smugglers. Over 210 of Mr. Townsend’s hives have been unvoluntarily relocated. Mr. Townsend says that he is going to start locking up his bees because the fear of being stung is no longer a deterrent to bee thugs.

Another factor creating honey shortage is that the honey crop in Argentina and other countries in the southern hemisphere’s from last summer was poor. Honey has become a world commodity and prices worldwide are affected.

An anti-dumping suit legislated more honey shortage by saying giving limits to how much honey can be imported. China has almost been shut out of US honey markets because of the duties imposed. Wales had a cold damp summer which affected their total honey production. Bees don’t go looking for nectar when the weather is bad. Bad weather is another reason for honey shortage.

In recent years, low honey prices cause many bee keepers to stop their beekeeping, which created another factor of honey shortage. Huge price increases have nearly doubled the price of honey as a result of the honey shortage. Tom Sanford, a beekeeping specialist at University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences says prices have risen from 40 cents per pound to around 80 to 90 cents per pound for unprocessed wholesale honey in 650 pound increments.

Pests are another problem that contributes to a honey shortage. An exotic mite is wiping out whole colonies of honey producers. This mite feeds on the bees. Introduced to Florida ten years ago, these mites have impacted wild bees.

The African bee was feared to really hurt US production creating another honey shortage. Florida, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas are the states impacted by this pest, but have not created as much honey shortage is they did in Australia, Canada and Mexico.

Honey shortage is not the only concern. With prices skyrocketing, honey producers are focusing on honey production rather than renting bees out to farmers for pollination of crops such as watermelons, squash and cucumbers. Most vegetables and fruits can only grow as a result of bee pollination. Honey shortages and bee shortages are concerns for us all.

Gourmet honey is available even with the honey shortage. HOWEVER, we expect to sell out early because we don’t have as much to sell as years before. Order Gourmet Honey NOW!
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