Features of beekeeping in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is not the largest country in Europe by area. However, Bulgaria has a well-developed beekeeping. In 2021, the number of registered apiaries was 10,801, with 837,955 bee colonies that produced 11,638 tons of honey.

The number of bee colonies even increased, despite the fact that in some areas there was a large death of bee colonies during wintering, autumn rallies, death from improper treatment of crops with pesticides.

 

 

How many bees are there in Bulgaria

Apparently, the allocation of 1.9 million dollars by the state for 5 thousand beekeepers and 40 breeding farms in 2015 created the basis for the sustainable development of the country's beekeeping. However, beekeeping in Bulgaria has undergone strong structural changes over the past 10 years.
The number of apiaries has decreased from 19,283 to 10,801 apiaries, but the number of bee colonies has increased from 529,117 to 837,955 colonies, while the amount of honey has not changed much - beekeeping in Bulgaria has been producing approximately 10,000-12,000 tons of honey per year over the past 10 years.
First of all, the number of small apiaries (from 1 to 9 hives) decreased - from 7,612 to 1,188 apiaries, and the number of small apiaries (10-49 hives) was also significantly reduced from 8,332 to 3,945 apiaries, while the number of medium apiaries (50-149 hives) increased slightly from 2,915 to 3,819 apiaries, but the number of large apiaries (more than 150 hives) increased significantly from 424 to 1,849 apiaries. As you can see, the number of professional beekeepers has grown significantly.
Calendar of work of a beekeeper in Bulgaria by months

What are the bees in Bulgaria

In Bulgaria there is an area of Apis mellifera macedonica, in Bulgaria it is called the Bulgarian honey bee (Bulgarian honey bee). It is well adapted to the honey flow and climate of both the mountainous and the plain parts of the country and can become the basis of Bulgarian beekeeping. In the last century, experiments with crossing bees have gone so far that the local bee was brought to the brink of extinction. It should be noted that it is forbidden to import bees of other breeds into Bulgaria, however, judging by the forums of Bulgarian beekeepers, they are willing to import carnica from Serbia and Austria. There is information about the import of bees from Turkey. There is an association of beekeepers that selects local bees and sells them.

What kind of beehives are in the apiaries of Bulgaria

What hives are common in apiaries in Bulgaria? The most common hives in Bulgaria are Dadan hives for 10 and 12 frames. On the honey collection, stores are used on a frame with external dimensions of 435 x 160 mm.
In second place are Ruta hives, which Bulgarian beekeepers have modified for their conditions.
You can often find loungers for 18 frames in the apiaries of the hive. At the honey collection, one store for 18 frames or two stores for 9 frames are used.
On a smaller scale, in the apiaries of Bulgaria, alpine hives are used, slightly modified to suit local conditions. They are used in areas with a weak honey flow, where they have proven themselves well. bees winter well in them.
Also, different types of Farrar hives (multi-hull hive) are used, which beekeepers remake for themselves. This hive clearly appeared under the influence of Farrar's books, but experienced beekeepers point out that the honey-bearing base of Bulgaria is very different from the conditions in the United States, and its technology cannot be completely copied.

What kind of honey in Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, you can get a large number of varieties of honey - linden, phacelia and other varieties of honey. Honey plants bloom continuously from February to October. Honeydew honey is considered one of the most valuable varieties of honey.
Bulgarian honey is of high quality and therefore is actively exported to other EU countries - Germany, Austria, Poland. Therefore, it is rather difficult to buy real Bulgarian honey in Bulgaria itself, for this it is advisable to contact the beekeeper directly, since shops usually sell a mixture of local honey with Chinese or Ukrainian.
In 2017, little acacia and honeydew honey was obtained due to weather conditions, but a lot of herbs, coriander, lavender, sunflower and other varieties of honey were obtained.
Without touching on all aspects of beekeeping in Bulgaria, let's try to consider a few events that have taken place in Bulgaria recently.

Honey branding in Bulgaria

Bulgarian beekeepers are trying to brand their honey.
Thus, the Bulgarian government is actively promoting a project for the production of products labeled as "mountain product" - the purpose of introducing such a designation is to facilitate access to international markets for small producers from mountainous areas, and in Bulgaria 40% of the territory is mountainous. The new label will allow you to get an additional price premium for your products, as consumers are confident in the quality of the product and its environmental friendliness. This project concerns not only beekeepers, but also many other small agricultural producers in mountainous areas.

Beekeeping in Bulgaria produces honey with a protected designation of origin

It is interesting to note the project - how in the Strandzha region (Rhodope Mountains) an industrial zone will be created for the production va Strandjak honeydew. The idea was not this year, it was planned that about 5000-6000 tons of honeydew honey would be produced in Strandzha, which would have to be exported to the Arab countries and the EU countries. The beekeepers received from the state assistance both in money and assistance in collecting documents for registering the status of a product protected by geographical origin. Bulgarian beekeepers believe that if a product has received the status of protected by geographical origin, its production and quality are significantly improved.
There are certain grounds for such an opinion. In Bulgaria, it is not difficult to create an organization of honey producers, it is enough that at least 6 beekeepers decide to unite, but they must know each other - know who feeds the bees with sugar in the honey collection, or feeds them with antibiotics, etc. Three organizations can form an association. But the most important thing is that if someone violates the rules and drives low-quality honey, then he is excluded from the organization and can no longer be accepted into this or any other organization of beekeepers. This measure ensures the quality of honey that the beekeepers' association claims.
Already in October 2017, the Strandzhanski manov honey Association, registered in the city of Tsarevo, applied for inclusion in the European Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications of the product produced by the members of the organization - Strandzhanski manov honey PDO Strandzhanski manov med / PDO "Manov honey from Strandzha" "Manov honey from Strandzha".
Since 2019 Strandzhak honeydew honey has been listed and has a protected logo. And Bulgarian beekeepers were able to dramatically increase honey production. "Strandja manov honey" is produced in the municipalities of Sozopol, Primorsko, Tsarevo, Malko Tarnovo and Sredets. Strandzha manov honey is a product obtained as a result of a combination of populations of aphids - honeydew producers, the presence of large tracts of oak and beech and a characteristic mild climate.
In 2023, the government approved a minimum assistance to farmers in the amount of BGN 1,800 to cover the costs of mandatory quality control measures for compliance with the protected designation of origin Strandja manov honey / Strandja manov honey. Producers of Strandzhansky Manov Med are eligible for support if they have concluded an agreement with a controlling person to control the compliance of products with an approved specification, as well as those entered in public electronic registers of manufacturers of relevant products with protected names, which are supported by the Ministry of Agriculture. Assistance to the manufacturer is BGN 1800, including VAT, and is provided to cover the costs of monitoring the conformity of the product to the specification, including the costs of the mandatory annual on-site inspection by the inspector for conformity control and laboratory analyses. product with a mandatory annual inspection.

State support for beekeeping in Bulgaria

Nevertheless, beekeepers are dissatisfied with measures to support beekeeping by the state.
So in 2017-2019, the beekeeping support program has a total budget of about 14,280,000 leva, of which 50 percent is provided by the EU and 50% -. From the state budget. The amount for 2017 is BGN 4,579,020.
However, a large number of documents are required that require approval, which causes dissatisfaction among beekeepers.

Problems in beekeeping in Bulgaria

Causes dissatisfaction among beekeepers and the procedure for compensation for the death of bee colonies from pesticide poisoning. In the event of the death of bees from poisoning, the beekeeper must, at his own expense, analyze the dead bees and processed plants, and only if the examination proves the relationship between the death of bee colonies and the processing of fields, the procedure for collecting compensation from the company that processed the fields will begin. Most beekeepers, having learned about this, give up this idea, therefore there are almost no recorded cases of death of bees from pesticides.
Also, beekeepers are irritated by the introduced information labels. The label is made of yellow flexible plastic - rectangular shape 45-60 mm high and 65-90 mm long. The label contains - the serial number of the official identification of the bee colony, and other information. The label is attached to the hives - labels are introduced because all the hives must be replaced, which means that the old ones must be replaced. They must also be entered in a veterinary journal by a veterinarian. Labels do not make life easier for beekeepers and are only introduced for the benefit of government agencies to make it easier for them to collect information about hives.
If a colony dies, the beekeeper must take this label, return it to the veterinarian and buy a new number, and then install it. None of the beekeepers is reluctant to mess with this, especially at their own expense.
In addition to everything, nosematosis, or rather Nosema ceranae, is increasingly being recorded in Bulgaria, which does not add optimism to beekeepers.
Here is such a short list of the achievements and concerns of Bulgarian beekeeping in 2017, but these problems are similar