South Gyeongsang Province announced Monday it is working to prevent honeybee losses at beekeeping farms across the province in response to the heat wave. [Provided by South Gyeongsang Province]
South Gyeongsang Province announced Monday it is working to prevent honeybee losses at beekeeping farms across the province in response to the heat wave. [Provided by South Gyeongsang Province]

South Gyeongsang Province announced Monday it is rolling out a comprehensive safety management plan to minimize honeybee deaths and economic losses at beekeeping farms caused by the prolonged summer heat wave. The province said it is urgently distributing heat-response guidelines on bee damage prevention and colony management to cities, counties and beekeeping farms across the province, while stepping up on-site inspections.

As of the end of December last year, the province had 3,083 beekeeping farms raising a total of 342,224 colonies, according to provincial data.

When hot and humid weather keeps internal hive temperatures at or above 35 degrees Celsius, queen bees stop laying eggs, larval development slows and pest damage increases. When temperatures climb above 38 C, worker bees expend excessive energy on temperature regulation — fanning and carrying water — leading to physical deterioration, shortened lifespans and a heightened risk of mass die-offs.

The optimal internal hive temperature in summer is 32 to 35 C. In response, the province outlined five key management guidelines and urged beekeepers to follow them: installing rain shelters and shade screens to block direct sunlight; supplying clean water through entrance feeders and communal watering stations; administering pollen substitutes as a protein source for larvae to maintain colony strength; and conducting intensive control of Varroa mites and eradication of yellow-legged hornets.

Building strong honey-producing colonies for the autumn nectar flow and robust overwintering populations both depend on proper colony management during the peak summer heat. Careful and timely management during this period is critical to the success of beekeeping operations, making close attention and diligent practice by farmers essential.

The province also urged beekeeping workers to avoid outdoor work during the midday heat and to rest at least 10 to 15 minutes per hour while working, to prevent heat-related illness.

"Honeybees are extremely sensitive to even minor temperature changes, so careful management by farmers is more important than anything else," said Park Dong-seo, head of the province's livestock division. "We ask beekeeping farms across the province to thoroughly put the summer colony management guidelines into practice on-site, and to pay particular attention to preventing heat-related illness and ensuring worker safety."


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