OBA Commentary on Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists’ Statement on Honey Bee Wintering Losses in Canada (2017)

We received CAPA’s Statement on Honey Bee Wintering Losses in Canada (2017) toward the end of August. It indicates that Ontario beekeepers lost approximately 27% of hives this winter. This is a good number for Ontario, which not long ago was reporting losses as high as 59%. 

Keep in mind that as a benchmark we usually regard a 15 – 19% winter loss as the maximum sustainable loss beyond which beekeepers will suffer from weaker hives for pollination and the added costs of increasing livestock (e.g. replacing queens and bees). Thus, even at 27%, Ontario is 42% above the maximum acceptable level of honey bee losses.

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