Winter Losses

[roche]

Well, it would be sort of interesting to know the number of hives each respondent had, with their percentage, and maybe the region.

 

[pargyle]

Well, it would be sort of interesting to know the number of hives each respondent had, with their percentage, and maybe the region.

It's not that easty, the forum poll function is a bit limited - if someone else would like to do a more complicated one then I'm happy for them to try and we will start again ... I'm not precious about this one - it was just that some people were reporting significant losses and others were saying that there weren't any ...

So far, about 30% of those who have participated are recording losses greater than 20% and 70% less than 20%. Which proves ... absolutley - nothing !

 

[jeff33]

I ended up in the greater than 20 but less than 30. 1 dead out and 4 duff queens. Dead out was expected but didn't expect 4 duffs!

 

[user 819]

One dead out .
2 x QL , no brood and approx.1k bees each = 37.5%.

One currently QL but has a QC in place, sealed brood and enough bees to cover .

 

[Erichalfbee]

So far, about 30% of those who have participated are recording losses greater than 20% and 70% less than 20%. Which proves ... absolutley - nothing !

We need hive numbers as well.
But it has been a useful exercise

 

[Erichalfbee]

Doesn’t BBKA or NBU or suchlike do a census? Depends how many bother taking part really.

 

[pargyle]

I ended up in the greater than 20 but less than 30. 1 dead out and 4 duff queens. Dead out was expected but didn't expect 4 duffs!

I've lost two out of 7 ...one in the late autumn and one that petered out in the last couple of weeks .. both plenty of stores present - not a single bee, dead or alive anywhere in the hives. I've got one colony with plenty of bees but no brood or eggs ... that's a bit of a worry, two absolutely stuffed with bees but only 3 or 4 frames of brood and 2 with an amount of bees I'd expect to see before they start building up in spring but with just small patches of brood .... not the best overwinter I've had, bit of a mixed bag. I'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks ... still quite early as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Antipodes]

I've lost two out of 7 ...one in the late autumn and one that petered out in the last couple of weeks

Would you count them as winter losses?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Would you count them as winter losses?

Maybe not the first but definitely the second

 

[Anduril]

% for nine ranges.
0-11.1%-22.2%-33.3%-44.4% -55.5%-66.6%-77.7%-88.8%-100%
% for eleven ranges.
0-9.1%-18.2%-27.3%-36.4%-
45.5%-54.5%-63.6%-72.7%-
81.8%-90.9%-100%
The issue is that it is not usual to have 9 or 11 hives, so the values in the limits are less likely.
I also wanted to rescue the post to see if the number of responses increases.

Not unusual to have 9 or 11 hives, I have 29, is that unusual? I've lost 2 that means a loss greater than 6% and less than 7%. 6.89655% decrease.

 

[roche]

It's not that easty, the forum poll function is a bit limited - if someone else would like to do a more complicated one then I'm happy for them to try and we will start again ... I'm not precious about this one - it was just that some people were reporting significant losses and others were saying that there weren't any ...

So far, about 30% of those who have participated are recording losses greater than 20% and 70% less than 20%. Which proves ... absolutley - nothing !

I haven't payed with the poll function. It's a wet morning though...And any poll is better than no poll.

 

[roche]

Doesn’t BBKA or NBU or suchlike do a census? Depends how many bother taking part really.

The NBU does a hive census going into winter, but nothing coming out. Not sure about the BBKA.

 

[BeeGiner]

This is a poorly thought out poll as it takes no account of the number of hives someone has.
e.g. A beek who loses his only hive is given the same weight as a beek who loses all all ten of his hives.

 

[pargyle]

This is a poorly thought out poll as it takes no account of the number of hives someone has.
e.g. A beek who loses his only hive is given the same weight as a beek who loses all all ten of his hives.

Well ... it was not intended to be an all encompassing poll ... but you are welcome to set about and create one that you think will be more valid ... start a new thread, go to the Poll function and rather than criticise my infantile effort ..

Put one together and post it up here ... there's at least one person 'liking' your post so you've got one reply waiting ...

 

[Moobee]

I've lost two out of 7 ...one in the late autumn and one that petered out in the last couple of weeks .. both plenty of stores present - not a single bee, dead or alive anywhere in the hives. I've got one colony with plenty of bees but no brood or eggs ... that's a bit of a worry, two absolutely stuffed with bees but only 3 or 4 frames of brood and 2 with an amount of bees I'd expect to see before they start building up in spring but with just small patches of brood .... not the best overwinter I've had, bit of a mixed bag. I'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks ... still quite early as far as I'm concerned.

I’m similar - no losses apart from my iffy nuc, but all are slow to build up. Three hives on 4-5 frames of brood when I would have expected 7+ by now. Very wet spring along the south coast and forage slow to appear I think. Going to check my notes from last year…..

 

[fian]

Not unusual to have 9 or 11 hives, I have 29, is that unusual? I've lost 2 that means a loss greater than 6% and less than 7%. 6.89655% decrease.

I mean that those who are backyard beekeepers or with less than 2 years of use usually go to a maximum of 5 to 10 hives. It's hard to target a number nine or eleven, and it could be that a summer death adjusts the winter value to a number like 9.

 

[pargyle]

I’m similar - no losses apart from my iffy nuc, but all are slow to build up. Three hives on 4-5 frames of brood when I would have expected 7+ by now. Very wet spring along the south coast and forage slow to appear I think. Going to check my notes from last year…..

Yes ... I think the wet and the cold down here has been detrimental to them getting going in some cases ... the cherry tree in my garden is looking like it's going to be another week before it flowers - it normally flowers first week in April so it's one of my indicator species - two weeks behind this year.

 

[fian]

This is a poorly thought out poll as it takes no account of the number of hives someone has.
e.g. A beek who loses his only hive is given the same weight as a beek who loses all all ten of his hives.

It is true that losing one is not the same as losing ten hives. Now, this survey does not look for reasons or to establish a ranking of professionalism, but only to calculate the % of losses and for that the design is correct.
This makes me wonder what the distribution function of the losses would be as a function of the number of hives located per apiary.

 

[jeff33]

I've lost two out of 7 ...one in the late autumn and one that petered out in the last couple of weeks .. both plenty of stores present - not a single bee, dead or alive anywhere in the hives. I've got one colony with plenty of bees but no brood or eggs ... that's a bit of a worry, two absolutely stuffed with bees but only 3 or 4 frames of brood and 2 with an amount of bees I'd expect to see before they start building up in spring but with just small patches of brood .... not the best overwinter I've had, bit of a mixed bag. I'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks ... still quite early as far as I'm concerned.

They're likely to ramp up brood rearing with nurse bees emerging. I don't mind if mine are slower than usual as we don't have any major spring crop or OSR, just dandelion and hawthorn.

 

[pargyle]

They're likely to ramp up brood rearing with nurse bees emerging. I don't mind if mine are slower than usual as we don't have any major spring crop or OSR, just dandelion and hawthorn.

We get a lot of tree blossom but the blackthorn was mostly over a couple of weeks ago - no sign of the hawthorn, a few ornamental cherries in bloom .. not a lot else. I rarely get any OSR within flying distance. It's a pretty late start down here in the Costa del Fareham - even the dandelions are still sleeping - just leaves - no flowers. There is some pollen and nectar coming in but it's survival quantities only and I think the bees know.