Some 20%-30% of the colonies of bees will die from starvation until the new honey harvest, Moldovan beekeepers anticipated. The chairman of the National Association of Beekeepers Stefan Condratiuc has told Info-Prim Neo that last year’s drought hampered the collection of honey and the bees simply die of starvation. “We will know the real situation towards the end of March, when temperatures rise to about 15 degrees Celsius, but we already sustain losses,” said Stefan Condratiuc. According to the specialists, a bee family needs 8 kg of honey to survive winter. Last summer, the acacia honey and the linden one was compromised. The drought also affected the collection of honey from sunflower. Stefan Condratiuc also said that a honeycomb of about 350 grams costs 70 to 100 lei, while a beehive contains 10 honeycombs. Thus, the beekeepers who will sustain losses will pay 700 to 1,000 lei for filling one beehive. According to websites with sale/purchase announcements, a kilogram of honey costs 35 lei and up. The National Association of Beekeepers said there are about 5,000 beekeepers in Moldova.