Heather honey, sung about in Scottish legends, has begun to be harvested in the Vitebsk region

August 13, 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 industrial apiary with 300 bee colonies has been operating at full capacity in the farm since this year. Its main activities are 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. About Br300 million from the regional budget was allocated for the project implementation. Thanks to this support, the farm purchased elite queen bees, modern equipment, and machinery, Lidiya Baturo said. During the active flowering of plants, almost all hives are moved to forests and meadows, with only 30 bee colonies remaining at the stationary apiary. This approach allows for the collection of environmentally friendly honey and guarantees that linden honey is truly linden, and heather honey is real heather honey, the interlocutor explained. Last year, the apiary had only 75 working bee colonies, which produced over 1 ton 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 pay off. On the Honey Savior holiday, which will be celebrated on August 14, the farm will present heather honey, unique in its healing properties and sung in Scottish ballads, at specialized fairs in Vitebsk and in the Polotsk district.