Honey bee colony losses for the 2010/2011 winter season remain steady.  Total losses from managed colonies were 30% according to the annual survey conducted by the Apiary Inspectors of American (AIA) and USDA-ARS.  This echoes past surveys done in the last four years: 34% for the 2009/2010 winter, 29% for 2008/2009, 36% for 2007/2008, and 32% for 2006/2007.

The annual online survey covered the period from October 2010 to April 2011.  PAm’s scientific advisor, Jerry Hayes, along with Dennis vanEngelsdorp and Jeff Pettis led the preliminary survey in which 20% of the estimated number of beekeepers in the U.S. responded.  Based on the findings, Pettis said, “The lack of increase in losses is marginally encouraging in the sense that the problem does not appear to getting worse for the honey bees and beekeepers.”

However, the beekeepers who responded lost an average of 38.4% of their operation, much higher than the 13% that would be acceptable.  No industry should bear these continued losses.  Pettis further added, “Continued losses of this size put tremendous pressure on the economic sustainability of commercial beekeeping.”  PAm research direction continues to be committed to decreasing these statistics on winter honey bee losses.