13 August, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. Heather honey harvesting has begun in the Vitebsk region, Lidiya Baturo, Director of the Communal Unitary Agricultural Enterprise "Polota", told a BELTA correspondent. The commercial apiary with 300 bee colonies has been operating at full capacity in the enterprise since this year. Its main activities include the commercial production of honey, pollen, and other beekeeping products. The apiary was established in accordance with the regional beekeeping development program for 2010-2011. Approximately Br300 million was allocated from the regional budget for the project implementation. Thanks to this support, the enterprise purchased elite queen bees, modern equipment, and machinery, Lidiya Baturo said. During the active flowering of plants, almost all beehives are moved to forests and meadows, with only 30 bee colonies remaining at the stationary apiary. This approach allows for the collection of ecologically clean honey and guarantees that linden honey is truly linden, and heather honey is genuine heather, the interviewee explained. Last year, the apiary had only 75 working bee colonies, which yielded over 1 tonne of honey. Despite the fact that the weather let beekeepers down this year – there was a drought during the flowering of the main honey plants – beekeepers have already exceeded last year's figure. As a rule, beekeepers sum up honey yields in September, but the enterprise director is confident that the honey production costs will be recouped. On the Honey Saviour's Day holiday, celebrated on August 14, the enterprise will present heather honey, unique in its healing properties and praised in Scottish ballads, at specialized fairs in Vitebsk and in the Polotsk district.

BELTA