| The annual Pacific Northwest Honey Bee Survey is now open! |
The electronic survey was opened early this year on March 1 and will extend through March and the month of April. If you overwintered colonies please share your winter survival results and management performed throughout the year to control mites (you may skip management questions). https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/survey
Beginning in May you may go to pnwhoneybeesurvey.com to find reports of state and local bee club responses. All responses are anonymous without identifying individual respondents.
How are your colonies wintering? By Dewey M. Caron
At the February meeting I discussed the pnwhoneybeesurvey. I encouraged members who overwintered colonies to complete the survey once you have looked at your overwintering results. The 17th annual PNWsurvey is open during March and April. https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/ (click on !Take the Survey!). It should take less than 5 minutes. This year, once again you can fast track your responses and only provide information on overwintering successes/losses and not include your managements.
Nine members of CCBA submitted survey results last year. They had a 44% loss, which was higher than average statewide loss of 26%. This loss was also slightly higher than the 39% loss level of the previous year (7 individuals returning a survey) and double the 22-23 survey loss (22% loss level – 4 individuals reporting).
Of the seven 8-frame overwintered hives 3 survived (43% loss level) and for the 42 10-frame Langstroth colonies overwintered, 15 did not survive (36% loss) – the reverse of statewide – 8-frame losses were 21% and 10-frame 28% statewide. The single nuc survived winter along the coast as did the single Slovenian hive overwintered.
Not everyone had loss – 2 individuals did not lose any overwintered colonies overwinter (4 total colonies) but an equal number, 2 individuals, lost all their colonies (6 colonies total). Two individuals lost one colony, 3 individuals lost 2 colonies and one each lost 4 and 6 colonies (6 was the greatest loss).
Statewide, in terms of years’ experience, increased years of beekeeping improved overwintered success. For Central Coast members, the 2 individuals with 2 or 3 years experience lost 50% of their colonies (2 of 4 lost), as did those with 4- 7 years’ experience (4 of 8 colonies lost); the 4 individuals who indicated 12 to 20 years keeping bees had slightly better results (46% loss – 15 of 31 overwintered colonies lost).
I also discussed spring mite control (critical for beekeeping success) and how to keep colonies from swarming, also management that can improve overwintering success.
Thanks to all Central Coast members for participation in the annual pnwhoneybeesurvey. I encourage you once again to complete a 2025-26 overwintering survey and add management information if you wish to do so.
The members of Central coast have been supportive of this annual survey of Oregon and Washington backyard beekeepers (50 colonies or fewer). With Ramesh Sagili, I also do a commercial beekeeper survey (50+ colonies) to accompany the pnw honey bee survey. I encourage Central Coast members to participate, this 17th year of the survey. It helps document annual loss of bees overwinter. The 17-year record is shown below; the dashed line is the loss trend.. https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/survey-results/