"The acacia tree represents one of the key bee pastures in a big part of Slovenia. At the moment it's too early to tell what the later pastures will be like, so beekeepers are very much in tears while waiting to see how the weekend will unfold," says Noč.

"I know that in certain parts, like for example in the Primorska and Prekmurje regions, beekeepers are totally dependent on the acacia. So, if there is no acacia in the Primorska and Prekmurje regions, the whole beekeepers' season will go to waste... ", he added.

While fruit growers and other plant growers, with the help of meteorological warnings, have the possibility to protect their harvest from sudden cold weather shocks, beekeepers can only watch to see what happens with the bees' first pasture of the year.

Jerneja Drolec, Radio Slovenija; translated by K. J.