Mild temperatures and early flowering are causing horticultural associations to worry about what consequences this could have for the fruit year. The beekeepers, on the other hand, are relaxed.
Even if there is another cold spell, this does not necessarily mean a bad fruit year, says Simone Kerkel, district chairwoman of the Horticultural Association in the district of Gotzing. "It smells like honey everywhere," says beekeeper Helge Straßer, who runs an organic beekeeping in Reichersdorf near Irschenberg. "We have to wait and see in the coming weeks,” says Kerkel. “From a purely visual perspective, nature currently presents a very attractive picture. The noses are also pampered, says Strausser: “It’s like honey all over the place.” "It's not yet possible to say whether the harvest will really be as bountiful as the blossoms currently suggest," Kerkel says. "In years like these, it is not uncommon for a severe frost to literally catch the trees cold"