Winter mortality of bee colonies in the Netherlands is above 20%

This year, a total of 2,640 Dutch beekeepers participated in the annual COLOSS survey, which is conducted in more than 40 countries; 25% of Dutch beekeepers participated. The Netherlands has approximately 11,000 active beekeepers; more than 95% are hobbyists. Of the beekeepers, 48.3% reported that all their bee colonies survived the winter and 6.7% of the beekeepers had to deal with a completely extinct apiary. Explanations for winter mortality among bee colonies are very diverse. For example, death of the queen during the winter is fatal for the bee colony. Combinations of factors also endanger the health of bee colonies. If the bees enter the winter weakened, for example due to a combination of a reduced food supply and disease, this increases the chance of the colony dying. Two other major causes of poor bee health are bee viruses and the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. The extent to which the rapid advance of the Asian hornet in the Netherlands has an effect on winter ...