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Marked queen. Photo Steve Gomes Average losses last year for WVBA members were 22% overwinter, considerably less than the past 12 years, although the same as the last 6 six-year average. One-half of the individuals, 21 of 41 WVBA respondents, had no loss while 6 individuals (of 20) had total loss. I asked those with loss why they felt their colonies did not survive. Three said they did not know – I recommend a dead colony necropsis https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/dead-colony-fo

Individuals who attended the May WVBA meeting were asked to complete a one page 10 question survey of interests in raising queens in conjunction with the talk I presented. The talk illustrations are in article posted preceding this report. Thank you to the 36 respondents who returned the survey. Some individuals offered multiple choices for the fill-ins - others did not respond to all the questions on the survey. Question one asked if your bees had replaced their queen this y

Dewey M. Caron Emeritus Prof U Del Affiliate Faculty OSU dmcaron@udel.edu The attached pdf titled Queens WVBA , is the accompanied slide presentation to Dewey's talk on Queen Rearing.

WVBA members were encouraged to complete a web-based survey document in a continuing effort to define overwintering losses/successes of backyard beekeepers in Oregon. This was the 17th year of such survey activity. I received 442 reports from Oregon beekeepers keeping anywhere from 1 to 49 colonies; Willamette Valley members sent in 41 surveys, twenty-four more than last year, double the average return for past 6 years = 20%. Maximum colony number was 22 colonies. Overwint