Steve Hamrick, a beekeeper near Clarksburg, teaches his grandchildren how bees make honey.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Honey production this year will likely be down, or best case scenario, equal to what it was last year, due to poor weather conditions and insect problems, said area beekeepers.
“I’m hearing that we’re probably having 75 percent less flow this year due to the loss of a few major honey crops,” said Chuck Cienawski, vice president of the West Virginia Beekeepers Association. “Statewide, there’s very little honey being capped.”
One of the reasons is because the black locust and poplar trees didn’t bloom this year, and poplar beetles damaged the crops from last year, he said.
“A tulip poplar will produce one teaspoon of honey per blossom, so if there are no poplars blooming, you can see the potential damage to the honey crop…
