On Monday the 3rd, heavy rain fell in Kumamoto Prefecture, with rainfall exceeding 300 mm in 24 hours.

This means that about 70% of the average rainfall for the whole of July fell in just one day. Alevel 4 alert was issued, and a bridge on a national highway collapsed in Yamato Town, and the Shirakawa River that runs through the city overflowed, causing a lot of damage both inside and outside the city.

The record-breaking rains also had a major impact on the beehives at SUGI BEE GARDEN.

The regularly-spaced beehives were buffeted by the wind and rain and had toppled over in large areas. The state of the beehives scattered around tells us how heavy the rain had been.

It seems that the road next to the beehive was a passage for rainwater to flow toward the back of the beehive.

The concrete roads were peeled off and some beehives were washed away up to 20m.

The next day, members of the beekeeping club headed out to maintain beekeeping sites across the prefecture, caring for the bees and restoring the hives.

As a beekeeping business, we at SUGI BEE GARDEN receive the blessings of nature, and therefore must face and respond to the unavoidable cycles of nature, such as weather and temperature.After harvesting honey, the bees need to rest and develop new lives, but summer is a time when various natural disasters occur every year.

As the rainy season deepens again this year, we will continue to strive to create a better environment for the bees.