Contacts:
Steve Parise, Agency of Agriculture, (802) 828-2431
Kelly Loftus, Agency of Agriculture, (802) 828-3829

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Montpelier, VT– As of mid-May, Vermont’s beekeepers have completed their first inspections of the season, and had a chance to evaluate the status of their bee colonies. On average, commercial beekeepers have reported a 25% to 30% winter loss. This amount of loss is about 10% to 15% more then the recently observed losses for over wintered hives. (As a comparison, before the arrival of Tracheal and Varroa mites, the average winter loss was about 10% to 15%). The most common causes, when determined, were varroa mites, queen failure and starvation. There have still been no documented cases of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) reported in Vermont. Most commercial beekeepers felt that the mild early winter followed by the sharp turn to very cold weather and then the late spring, had a significant negative impact on Vermont bees. Hobby beekeepers have reported the usual wide range in over wintering success. Their losses ranged from none to 100%. On average most of these beekeepers own one to five colonies. With the arrival of warm spring weather, the surviving colonies are re-building their populations rapidly, which should allow most commercial beekeepers to replace their losses by the dividing of strong colonies. There also appears to be an ample supply of replacement bees, so most hobby beekeepers should be able to replace their losses, if they so desire. Now that the tree fruits are blooming along with the dandelions, there is much more optimism among beekeepers for the upcoming season. With the right combination of weather, plant bloom, and strong colonies, there should be a good supply of delicious Vermont honey this fall.