Status and Environmental Factors of the Annual Production of Acacia Honey from the False Acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) in South Korea

Kim, K.M.; Woo, S.O.; Kim, S.G.; Kim, H.Y.; Kim, S.K.; Kim, D.W.; Lee, M.Y.; Choi, Y.S.; Kang, E.J.; Park, H.G.; Park, B.S.; Frunze, O.; Kim, J.G.; Han, S.M.

Status and Environmental Factors of the Annual Production of Acacia Honey from the False Acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) in South Korea

2021

Honey is an important food resource for human. Because Korea is characterized by both of temperate and microthermal climate with four seasons, various seasonal honey plants are available during all seasons. Among them, the false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) accounts for more than 70% of the honey production in Korea. Since 2014, in Korea, the honey production has been generally decreased and sudden drop of the acacia honey production in 2018 and 2020 (19.1% and 12.9% of the average production) caused severe economic losses in the bee farms. The decreased acacia honey production in both years was expected by abnormal climate changes occurred in either before or after the acacia flowering season. The optimal activity time of the honey bee during an acacia flowering season was calculated in the six different regions separated in three parts of Korea from 2018 to 2020. The mean optimal activity time of honey bee was 4.6±1.7, 6.4±0.6 and 3.9±1.0 hours in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Further, we plan to continually collect annual honey production data and climate information and provide it to the bee keepers, thereby reducing the economic damage of bee farms.

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