Journal of Apicultural Research 49(1): 7-14 (2010)

By: Dennis vanEngelsdorp1,2*, Jerry Hayes Jr3, Robyn M Underwood2 and Jeffery S Pettis4
1
  Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry - Apiculture, 2301 North Cameron Street, Harrisburg,
PA 17701, USA.
2
  Department of Entomology, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
3
  Florida Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant and Apiary Inspection, Apiary Inspection Section, Division of Plant
Industry, P.O. Box 147100, Gainesville, FL 32614, USA.
4
  USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory, Bldg. 476 BARC-E, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.

 This study records the third consecutive year of high winter losses in managed honey bee colonies in the USA. Over the winter of 2008-9 an estimated 29% of all US colonies died. Operations which pollinated Californian almond orchards over the survey period had lower average osses than those which did not. Beekeepers consider normal losses to be 17.6%, and 57.9% of all responding beekeepers suffered losses greater than that which they considered to be acceptable. The proportion of operations with the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) symptom of no dead bees in the colony or apiary” decreased in this period as compared to the previous years. The proportion of colonies dying from apparently manageable conditions, however, such as starvation or a weak condition in the fall increased as compared to previous surveys.