Beekeeper Schmaranzer from Gosau: “The situation is difficult”

Ingrid and Stefan Schmaranzer from Gosau run the Imego beekeeping business full-time and have done so for three decades. They both earn their income exclusively from beekeeping. They have turned their hobby into a profession and have built up two lines of business: they are queen breeders. They breed the Carnica bee, the bee breed that is native to Austria. In contrast, they produce all kinds of honey products and sell them in local shops, on the farm and at markets, such as the Ischl weekly market. Ingrid Schmaranzer talks to Tips about the job of beekeeper in general and the challenges of the profession.

Tips: How did you get into beekeeping?

Schmaranzer: Dealing with bees has always shaped my life. The honey bee is a great farm animal, but it was not easy to deal with them or even to make a profit. My husband and I have been engaged in targeted breeding and selection for over three decades.

Tips:How did your career as a beekeeper begin?

Schmaranzer: It took us many years to build up a good reputation as a breeder. Our queens are mostly delivered to large professional beekeepers throughout Europe using a special express service, but also to many amateur beekeepers. We now rely largely on word of mouth, and there are often waiting times for the breeding queens because we cannot keep up with the work.

Tips: But you also produce bee products?

Schmaranzer: Our second product line is bee products, such as propolis, bee bread, mead, wax products and, above all, honey. We sell directly from the farm, in regional shops and at the Ischl weekly market. The honey market in Austria is currently quite difficult. I am also vice president of the Austrian commercial beekeepers’ association and I advocate for all domestic beekeepers. The enormous honey imports into the EU have created a difficult situation. We consume around one kilo of honey per capita. Honey production is actually too low for the domestic market, but due to cheap imports, which largely consist of low-quality syrup, many beekeepers cannot sell their honey or can only sell it for less than the production price.