Dutch beekeepers' association predicts high winter mortality among bees

Nearly 40 percent of beekeepers are already dealing with bee colony losses. These are considerably higher percentages than in the past. In the years 2014 to 2019, only 10 to 15 percent of beekeepers suffered from bee mortality. The dropout rate at the time was 2 to 3 percent. Over the past five years, mortality has increased annually. After the winter of 2022/2023, the failure rate was as high as 25.6 percent. The reason for the increase in bee mortality is the DWV type B virus, reports the beekeepers' association. This is a variant of DWV type A. The B variant of the virus greatly shortens the lifespan of infected bees. A second problem with this virus variant is that, unlike type A, it can reproduce in the varroa mite. Infection with mites By feeding the mites in the pupal stage, the pupae are infected through a skin wound with millions of viruses, which can ultimately affect all organs of the young bee. The virus can occur both symptomatically and asymptomatically. The DWV ...