Colony Losses over 40% in USA

[Finman]

Beehive losses reports have some mistakes clearly.

Correct figures may be: Summer losses 2018 were same size as winter losses 2028-19. They were boath about 20%

 

[birdsandbees]

I have been struck by how most bee farmers seem quite humble hardworking people

I'm glad you said Most
I know a Bee Farmer who is happy to admit that he is lazy and does the bare minimum, he's a nice guy but I sometimes wonder how he's so successful.
for an example, we were talking the other day and he was telling me about the potential for Virgin queens to get through excluders and that once they are mated they cant get through? I didn't mention the Thorax, just nodded politely.

 

[Fusion_power]

I have, however, noticed a couple of flying pigs ...

Finding your cup overfull with a nice dark brew will do that for you.


I can't validate the results posted re losses because I have not had enough losses in the last few years to matter. What I have seen is a huge increase in would-be beekeepers who purchase package bees from one of the factory farms, install them in a hive, and then ignore them. Then they complain because their bees died. Such bees have little or no resistance to varroa. They often do not make enough surplus honey to overwinter. The bad part is that they turn around and order another factory farmed package the next year and repeat the process.

One of the largest apiary operations in the U.S. had huge losses over the last 2 years. Adee dropped from about 70,000 colonies to about 20,000 in one winter. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesal...hives-afflicts-orchard-growers-and-beekeepers

birdsandbees, I've seen a laying queen in the supers above an excluder 3 or 4 times in the last 50 years. I was never sure exactly how she got up there. It could have been that a queen took a mating flight, then returned to an opening in the hive above the excluder.

 

[Erichalfbee]

What I have seen is a huge increase in would-be beekeepers who purchase package bees from one of the factory farms, install them in a hive, and then ignore them. Then they complain because their bees died. Such bees have little or no resistance to varroa. They often do not make enough surplus honey to overwinter. The bad part is that they turn around and order another factory farmed package the next year and repeat the process.

This is what my Californian friend reports

 

[Repwoc]

One of the largest apiary operations in the U.S. had huge losses over the last 2 years. Adee dropped from about 70,000 colonies to about 20,000 in one winter. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesal...hives-afflicts-orchard-growers-and-beekeepers

Interesting that they can manage that many colonies with so few people. 70,000 / 35 = 2000 colonies per crew member. I guess they don't spend long doing inspections.

 

[maz0]

Interesting that they can manage that many colonies with so few people. 70,000 / 35 = 2000 colonies per crew member. I guess they don't spend long doing inspections.

Lean entire hive over on its edge, peak under brood box, no QC's hanging down, set it back upright and move on....probably!

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Over here in California and visited a bee farm. They confirm the losses here have been been down to varroa.

My friend pointed me to recent discoveries / research that varroa are feeding on fat and not blood...

https://entomologytoday.org/2019/02/21/inside-look-how-varroa-mite-diet-discovered/

Seems also there have been new findings in last 2 weeks around how to really deal with varroa...some miracle cure or method but its not surfaced yet...wondered if anyone had heard anything...?

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

 

[Ian123]

There’s normally at least 1 miracle cure a year for varroa most don’t appear to surface.

 

[foghornleghorn]

Lean entire hive over on its edge, peak under brood box, no QC's hanging down, set it back upright and move on....probably!

That would be too labour intensive. Destroy everything and requeen in spring and only stack boxes on for the rest of the year

 

[Stiffy]

Over here in California and visited a bee farm. They confirm the losses here have been been down to varroa.

My friend pointed me to recent discoveries / research that varroa are feeding on fat and not blood...

https://entomologytoday.org/2019/02/21/inside-look-how-varroa-mite-diet-discovered/

Seems also there have been new findings in last 2 weeks around how to really deal with varroa...some miracle cure or method but its not surfaced yet...wondered if anyone had heard anything...?

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

Interesting (good) research, which may hopefully lead to a new treatment. We would probably be able to use anything new after the next generation of beekeepers stop advocating open mesh floors and matchsticks!
S

 

[Finman]

Over here in California and visited a bee farm. They confirm the losses here have been been down to varroa.

My friend pointed me to recent discoveries / research that varroa are feeding on fat and not blood...

https://entomologytoday.org/2019/02/21/inside-look-how-varroa-mite-diet-discovered/

Seems also there have been new findings in last 2 weeks around how to really deal with varroa...some miracle cure or method but its not surfaced yet...wondered if anyone had heard anything...?

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

It is fat body, not fat.

Fat body is a store tissue in all insects.
.

 

[Fusion_power]

Fat body is a store tissue in all insects.

Look up vitellogenin.

 

[SDM]

doesn't most of the commercial queen rearing happen in the South and aren't a lot of bees/queens exported North for hobbyists? No wonder they don't last over winter.

I'm still to discover these bees so soft that they can't survive a winter. Italians it seems are as popular in Northern Europe as they are in Mediterranean climates.
Do you really think these southern queen breeders are pumping out bees incapable of survival in the climate they're sold to ? None of them would be in business long.
Simple fact is that the US just had the most extreme of winters. I doubt anything more significant than that is at play in the rise seen in the latest figures.
There's an article in the last Welsh beekeeping magazine about a native beekeeper and his losses to the beast from the east and how he recovered. The "beast" was an unseasonably warm spell by comparison to the temps seen across the pond last year.

 

[Finman]

Let's note, that in USA summer losses are almost same size as in winter

.

 

[SDM]

Let's note, that in USA summer losses are almost same size as in winter

.

"Winter" is only October to april 1st, lots of colonies that were dwindling but not yet dead will be counted as summer losses