Survey is Live

The pnwhoneybeesurvey is OPEN. Members of WVBA have been especially supportive of this annual survey of Oregon and Washington backyard beekeepers.  Please participate before May 1st @ https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/survey/  .  This will be the 17^th survey year. I have modified the survey so you can simply enter survival/loss this past winter and Fast Track avoiding responding to questions on management if you wish.

For Oregon backyarders, the overall trend is essentially flat over the past 14 years with average losses at 38% overwinter.  It has increased slightly the past 14 years for commercially managed colonies to 22% average; commercials in OR and WA have had heavier losses than backyarders the last 3 years. WVBA losses have been lower the last four years with the last winter losses well below other years; the WVBA 11 year average loss is 30%, lower than statewide average of 38%. The loss trend the past 11 years (dotted line) is more strongly downward than statewide. The latest WVBA report is at: (https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/) Click on survey reports under individual club reports.  

I am sure most of you are aware of very high levels of losses being reported by commercial beekeepers the past two winters. According to a survey from Auburn University, overall annual losses for U.S. beekeepers in 2022-23 was 55.1% (37.3% overwintering loss). A survey by Project Apis mellifera (PAm) of losses June 2024 to February 2025 was even higher - 62% for 702 commercial beekeepers. Losses of (fewer individual) sideliner and hobbyist beekeeper during the same period was 50% and 54% respectively. Oregon beekeepers, responding to the survey lost between 50,000 and 100,000 colonies.

We do not exactly know the reason(s) for the heavy losses of commercial beekeepers the past two seasons. Samples taken by USDA, analyzed by USDA and Cornell University, point to mite control failure. The Varroa mite spread virus Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV) was especially high in samples and analysis of the 58 mites collected revealed resistance to amitraz miticide. A preliminary analysis by ABF in January 2026 mostly of small scale (<50 colonies) ABF members showed mixed results with average slightly lower than the 2022-23 wintering loss level of 37%).