What impact will extreme heat have on honey supply?

Ireland has sizzled in multiple heatwaves this summer, with hot day after hot day. 

While that might be enjoyable for people hitting the beach, the weather has had a devastating impact on Irish wildlife. 

On Moncrieff, beekeeper Aoife Nic Giolla said it had been a “tough summer for the bees”. 

“We've had such a dry spell now and it has affected beekeeping, just like it's affected all other types of farming,” she said. 

“Bees rely so much on the moisture in the ground because flowers, they rely on the moisture.

“So, the nectar that comes from the flowers that the bees collect and turn into honey, that's so reliant in bringing up moisture so that the nectar can flow.”

A group of bees flying away from a hive. Picture by: Damien Tupinier on Unsplash/Alamy.com.

Ms Nic Giolla continued that 2026 has not been a one off, but is simply another year of extreme weather variation. 

“Last summer was extremely dry as well,” she explained. 

“The early part of the year, everything came early and it dried up - but the two previous years then were too wet.

“So we're kind of suffering from extremes in the summertime at the moment. 

“We're just a bit concerned that now going into the autumn as well, how the bees are going to fare out.”

Impact on honey?

However, honey lovers should not despair as most honey bought in Ireland is made overseas. 

It means the nation’s supply is unlikely to be impacted. 

“To be honest with you, Irish honey is very difficult to get anyway, because we're not we're not a honey producing country on a global scale compared to a lot of other countries,” Ms Nic Giolla said. 

“It's just the nature of our weather, it's so unpredictable - there's very few full time beekeepers in Ireland.

“There are some parts of the country that would have had a better yield than in other parts of the country.

“There's some parts where it has been the best yield in years. So, I would say it probably worked out about average.”

If anyone is keen to help their local bee population, Ms Nic Giolla suggested they leave out some water for thirsty bees to drink from. 

“Just putting even a tray out with some sticks or some straw for the bees to float on,” she said. 

“Or a tray with pebbles, the bees can land in it and they can take up water that way and bring it back to the hive.”

Main image: Honey bees on brood cells of a hive. Picture by: Images & Stories / Alamy