The year 2026 will be remembered as a challenging one for beekeepers in Tarn-et-Garonne

The year 2026 will be remembered as a challenging one for beekeepers in Tarn-et-Garonne. Following a rainy winter, colonies began the season under favorable conditions, leading to satisfactory spring harvests. However, this changed dramatically at the end of May with an early heatwave, followed by July, which recorded the highest temperatures ever in Occitanie. In the region, the Autan wind worsened the situation by drying out flowers and halting nectar production, severely impacting sunflower yields, which sometimes fell to just 50% of normal levels. Many beekeepers are now installing shaded water sources and providing emergency feeding to sustain their colonies through winter.