Pinglu Honey

Pinglu Honey

　　Produced in all towns and villages of Pinglu County. Taking Chuan Town as an example, in 1995, beekeepers in the township owned over 4,000 beehives, producing more than 80 tons of honey annually, with sales revenue exceeding 500,000 yuan. However, due to an exceptionally dry autumn in 1997, the harvest of vitex flower honey almost completely failed. Many beekeepers reduced their scale or were unable to afford winter feed, resulting in the death of bee colonies. By 1998, statistics showed that the town had over 100 beekeeping households, more than 3,000 beehives, producing over 50 tons of honey, over 200 kilograms of royal jelly, over 500 kilograms of beeswax, and over 300 kilograms of propolis, with total sales revenue of over 300,000 yuan.

　　　The mountainous areas of Pinglu offer ideal conditions for beekeeping. First, there is an abundant supply of floral nectar. The mountainous regions of the county feature vast forested slopes, not only with acacia and vitex flowers, but also with rapeseed flowers, thorny shrub flowers, and a variety of wild mountain blooms, providing rich sources of nectar. From spring to autumn, there is a continuous cycle of flowering, and under normal circumstances, there is no issue with maintaining bee colonies. Second, the region has a unique geographical and climatic environment well-suited for the development of apiculture. Pinglu has a long, narrow terrain, bordered by mountains and a river, higher in the north and lower in the south, resulting in significant climatic variations. Even for the same type of floral nectar, the blooming periods vary—some early, some late—staggering the nectar flows, which provides excellent opportunities for bee colonies to conduct small-scale migratory foraging. In early spring, bee colonies can first be placed along the river, where abundant rapeseed flowers offer plentiful nectar and pollen. In April, acacia honey can be harvested from both the riverside areas and the Central Plains region. By May, it’s the season for vitex flower honey and various wild mountain flower honeys, which continue until autumn, with different wild blooms opening successively and nectar sources remaining available year-round. Beekeeping in Pinglu holds broad prospects for development.