Recently there were reports of massive amounts of bees not surviving the winter. As of this writing losses seem to be mostly of bees in commercial operations. Please see the links below for the complete story.
Here are some of the hi-lights that were covered at the Feb 10 meeting.
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Don’t Panic – Still early days
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Higher than normal commercial winter bee losses - across county
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Seeing 50% to 70% losses from only winter. Some commercial beekeepers are seeing 100%. Normal is 45% to 50% for the year.
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Interesting to note that commercial losses for the year 23 - 24 were 16% higher than average at 55.7%. Higher than both Hobbyists and side liners. Note: Methodology and surveyors were different from years past and that could contribute to some variation. Still losses are high.
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Different from CCD 2006- 2007. The bees aren’t leaving, they are dying in place.
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Many agencies (private and public) have responded quickly and are doing testing.
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Too early to speculate on what is happening.
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While there were hints last fall that something might be happening, it was only confirmed in the last few weeks.
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Some commercial beekeepers may not recover. Industry is seeing estimates of over $100,000,000 in losses.
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No data for hobbyists yet. Cohort is mostly of commercial beekeepers.
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Until more is known the best thing you can do is monitor your bees regularly and treat them as necessary.
References
US-Beekeeping Survey
https://apiaryinspectors.org/US-beekeeping-survey
The Bee Supply - February 2025 Monthly Buzz
https://youtu.be/-3LrLbZB7As?t=708
Inside the Hive TV - Interview with Blake Shook
The Worse Honey Bee Die-Off since Colony Collapse Disorder?
Blake Shook Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/blake.shook.52
2025 Apis M Colony Loss Survey
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=4lj5ELQBu0u0w075F24VAsE-d7cHxzVMqGzClZ1EvGRUNE9QQkhSN1AxSFdBQzJKVzBTVlBCUVJDNS4u&route=shorturl