-
What do the different number plate colours of cars mean in France?
Standard passenger vehicles must be white, but do you know what the other colours signify?
-
Small town in Normandy attracts record visits on Wikipedia
A new ranking puts this famous coastal town in first place, followed by a medieval hilltop favourite, and three mountain resorts
-
French wine production faces sharp decline
Adverse weather conditions across France's key vineyards forecast a 22% drop in output for 2024
French honey production 'exceptional' in 2020 so far
An “exceptional” amount of honey has been produced in France so far this year, due to the unusually warm weather and coronavirus confinement.
Jean-Luc Debaisieux, vice-president of a beekeeping federation in Lille (Nord), said honey production in 2020 had “multiplied by three".
He said: "And that’s only spring honey. We should still be able to make summer honey. So, it’s really an exceptional year.”
Read more: Summer 2020 in France to be hotter than normal
Read more: New map: Risk of summer drought in France
Warm weather
This year in France the weather has been usually warm, and beekeepers believe this is the reason for their bumper honey crops.
Beekeeper Dominique Céna from Sucy-en-Brie (Val-de-Marne) said: “2020 has been another indicator of global warming.
"We practically didn’t have a winter. The bee colonies started very early in the season, and we had humidity in the first trimester. That means that the plants had all the necessary conditions to be able to grow quickly.
"And the bee colonies have, clearly, made the most of that.”
Confinement conditions
Confinement as a result of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 - which causes Covid-19 - in France has also added to favourable conditions.
Bees have had a calm environment in which to collect pollen, and meadows and embankments have been left to grow wild, increasing the amount of pollen available.
Additionally, a rise in gardening as a hobby has meant more vegetable patches, which have also made more pollen available for bees to collect.
Related articles
France on red alert for allergies until end of July
French scientists fight Asian hornet ‘in own language’
French bees and honey production damaged by heatwave
Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France