KYIV, Jan 6 - In Ukraine in 2024, bee mortality in the controlled territory was 20-25%, this is significantly higher than pre-war figures and is explained by unfavorable weather conditions in the spring and summer, which led to a reduction in the area of honey plants, Volodymyr Postoyenko, director of Prokopovych Institute of Beekeeping, told the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

"2024 was a very difficult year for beekeepers due to a sharp change in climate. In the spring, white acacia is very important for the development of bee colonies. During its flowering period, there were frosts all over Ukraine. The bees did not get honey from it. Then there was a problem with an important honey plant - sunflower. Due to the drought, its yield was low, it did not secrete nectar and bee colonies did not develop. This led to a high mortality rate of bees, which in different regions amounted to 15-20%, and sometimes 23-27%. On average, this figure was around 20-25% across the country," the scientist said.