Northeast sees massive bee losses

Local News

GET INVOLVED

The Champlain Valley Beekeepers Association's 2012 annual meeting will be held Saturday, April 28, at Beekmantown Town Hall on Spellman Road.

The guest speaker will be Penn State University entomologist Maryann Frazier.

It costs $20 for the seminar and $20 for a one-year membership in the association. Call Dick Crawford at 561-7167 for more information or to register.

Related Photos

Beekeeper Dick Crawford feeds one of his 60 hives a pollen patty made of bee pollen, soy flour and Crisco to keep them from leaving the hive to look for food. Many hives across the Northeast were lost this winter due to mild weather conditions that encouraged the growth of mites. Crawford (right) inspects a bee for health by looking at its wings and checking it for mites. Staff Photo / Kelli Catana
Dick Crawford inspects a bee for health by looking at its wings and checking it for mites. Staff Photo / Kelli Catana

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February 22, 2012

DAN HEATH Press-Republican The Press Republican Wed Feb 22, 2012, 02:28 AM EST

MORRISONVILLE — Beekeepers across the Northeast have experienced massive losses of bees this winter.

Champlain Valley Beekeepers Association President Dick Crawford said the beekeepers he has spoken with are reporting deaths of 90 percent to 100 percent of their hives.

"I have some friends in Pennsylvania who lost 100 percent of 2,000 hives."

Crawford personally lost 90 percent of his 60 hives and about half of his "nucs," the nucleus colonies that he creates in the fall to cover winter losses.

"This is the highest percentage I've ever seen."

But he expects most beekeepers will be able to recover from the setback in time for pollination season.

MITE ATTACKS

The warm weather this winter meant the varroa mite didn't go dormant, like they do most winters, and their population exploded. The varroa mite is a tiny parasite that attaches to a bee and gradually sucks the juices out of it. The mite also transmits viruses.

Crawford said he lost only 11 of his 60 hives last winter. The deep late-season snows then helped keep the mites and viruses under control.

"They had free rein this year."

Bees are typically treated for mites in September or October. Once they cluster for winter, they can't be treated again until they come out again in April.

Crawford said the treatment needs to be done carefully to prevent contamination of honey.

NEW HIVES COSTLY

He ordered replacement hives from a supplier in Georgia Jan. 2.

"I knew then we would have a major loss," he said.

The new hives cost him $6,000 and should arrive by mid-April. That should be in plenty of time for him to get them to Banker Orchards for apple-blossom pollination, usually in mid-May.

A lot of people are likely to be scrambling for bees this spring, Crawford said, as one of the major suppliers in the South has stopped offering bees.

Many of the local orchards use hives brought to the region by migrant beekeepers, often by the tractor-trailer load.

EARLY START

The weather during the rest of the winter isn't as important now as in years past because of the heavy losses.

The bees will become more active as the days grow longer. The first pollen comes from pussy willows, and usually is available around April 1. It might be a little earlier this year due to the mild weather.

"That will send the queen into a frenzy of laying eggs," Crawford said.

COLONY COLLAPSE

People in the beekeeping industry continue to worry about Colony Collapse Disorder, where entire hives of bees disappear. Crawford said that had happened to six of his hives when he went to prepare them for winter.

Researchers believe it is caused by the varroa mites and viruses. Crawford said the theory is that a hive is so heavily infested that the bees leave en masse to try to get away from disease.

More recent research has shown that some of the bees are leaving the hive at night, which is not normal behavior.

POPULATION DROP

A healthy hive has about 100,000 bees, a figure that typically drops to about 30,000 by spring.

Part of that is because the male bees are pulled from the hive and dismembered in late fall because they are not needed to help the hive survive during winter.

Crawford was at work on his hives Tuesday afternoon, inserting pollen patties to encourage the bees to stay inside during the warm weather predicted for this week, when temperatures are expected to climb to close to 50 degrees.

Crawford used a smoker to keep the bees calm as he worked on the hive.

"This one is probably one of the healthier hives I've got," he said.

Email Dan Heath at:

dheath@pressrepublican.com