Honey-sweet experiences abounded at the International Honey Fair and Beekeeper’s Meeting, which was held for the thirty-fourth time in Jászberény on Saturday. Exhibitors and honey lovers came from many parts of the country and beyond the border to one of the biggest beekeeping events in our country. The highlight of the day was the selection of the honey queen again this year.

Liquid gold even flowed from the tap on Saturday in the capital of Jászság. In the scorching heat, many people took part in the beekeepers’ meeting, which began with the spectacular parade of honey queen Katalin Ozsváth Laura and her entourage, as well as the honey knights. The beekeepers and honey consumers were greeted by Mayor Lóránt Budai, Member of Parliament János Pócs and Klaudia Molnár, President of the Jászság Bee Association in the Sports Hall on Bercsényi Street.

We are meeting for the thirty-fourth time and we can say that in the past thirty-three there have not been as many changes as in the one year we have left behind.

– There is a war going on in our neighborhood, we struggle with drought, inflation and sometimes procurement problems. Agriculture Minister István Nagy asks beekeepers for patience, and then we have to bridge this difficult period. We are not in an easy situation, since food is not vital, but we pursue a profession through bees that is vital – Péter Bross, president of the National Hungarian Bee Association (OMME), pointed out in his opening speech.

During the greetings, Katalin Laura Ozsváth expressed her gratitude to honey queen for being able to serve Hungarian beekeeping and its present and future for a year. In accordance with tradition, the Jászság Bee Association, the Jász Museum and the Jewish Barnabás Award, founded by the Jászdózs municipality, were presented at the honey fair.

The beekeeper Benjámin Gégény, who is asking for recognition, was the OMME’s Bács-Kiskun County consultant for seventeen years. The event was accompanied by a professional forum, which discussed, among other things, current affairs in the sector and the situation of the honey market.

Everything related to the production and use of honey could be found in the whirlwind of the fair. About thirty exhibitors offered hundreds of different beekeeping tools and handicrafts. This day was not only about work, but also about relaxation. Children’s programs, a drawing competition, an incense-lighting and frame-nailing competition, as well as a presentation on the management of a live bee colony brightened the meeting, the highlight of which was again this year the selection of the queen bee.

This year, the professional jury selected the honey queen from among ten candidates.

Based on their decision, the crown went to Klaudia Mohácsi from Nagykamarás, who represents the beekeeping community for a year and promotes Hungarian honey and beekeeping development.

Girhiny Alexandra, who came to the competition from Edelény, was chosen as her first lady of the court. The second maid of honor was Noémi Csapó. She turned out to be the audience’s favorite, as the girl from Győr took home the audience award.

The love of bees is a family heirloom

The queen of honey, Klaudia Mohácsi, said in her introduction that she came to the meeting from Nagykamarás, a small village in Békés County. His family heritage is the love of bees. His grandfather started beekeeping, then his father continued, and he started beekeeping with ten families four years ago. He studied finance and accounting and currently works as a salesperson.

As the Honey Queen, I want to spread the word of Hungarian honey and my goal is to make as many people as possible aware of the beneficial effects of beekeeping products. Hungary’s new honey queen wished the beekeepers beehives full of honey and strong bee colonies with the greeting “heaviness in the hive”, because if the hive is heavy, it means that there is also a lot of honey.