[Pollinator] US Colony Losses Down

[Ladadams at aol.com]

This ezine is also available online at 
_http://home.ezezine.com/1636/1636-2009.05.19.10.29.archive.html_ 
(http://home.ezezine.com/1636/1636-2009.05.19.10.29.archive.html) 

CATCH  THE BUZZ 
Preliminary  Results: A Survey of Honey Bee Colonies Losses in the U.S. 
Between September 2008 and  April 2009.  
Prepared by: Dennis  vanEngelsdorp1, Jerry Hayes2, and Jeff  Pettis3. 
Note: A more detailed final report is  being prepared for publication at a 
later date.  
 
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The Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and  USDA-ARS Beltsville Honey Bee 
Lab conducted a survey between September 2008 and  early April 2009 to 
estimate colony loses across the country.  Over 20% of  the country’s estimated 
2.3 million colonies were surveyed. A total loss of  28.6% of managed honey 
bee colonies was recorded.  This compares to losses  of 35.8% and 31.8% 
recorded respectively in the winters of 2007/2008 and  2006/2007.  While a 
decrease in total losses is encouraging, the rate of  loss remains unsustainable as 
the average operational loss increased from 31% in  2007/2008 to 34.2% in 
the 2008/2009 winter.  
 
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Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is characterized  by the complete absence of 
bees in dead colonies or in apiaries.  This  survey was not able to 
differentiate between verifiable cases of CCD and  colonies lost as the result of 
other causes that share the “absence of dead  bees” as a symptom.  The 26% 
of operations that reported some of their  colonies died without dead bees 
lost 32% of their colonies, while beekeepers  that did not lose any bees with 
symptoms of CCD lost a total of 26% of their  colonies.  
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To List YOUR event on our Beekeeping  Calendar, simple send your meeting 
notice to _info at BeeCulture.com_ (mailto:info at BeeCulture.com)    
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 Only 15% of all the colonies lost during the 2008/2009 winter died with 
symptoms  of CCD, this compares to a 60% colony loss with CCD-like symptoms in 
the winter  of 2007/2008.  While losses from CCD may have decreased in the 
winter of  2008/2009, losses from other causes remain a significant concern. 
 58% of  all beekeepers reported above normal losses last year, losing a 
total of 32.8%  of their colonies compared to the minority of beekeepers who 
claimed a normal or  below normal loss of 17%.     
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 These findings emphasize the urgent need for research, not only of CCD, 
but of  general honey bee health.  
1.      Dennis vanEngelsdorp,. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture/The  
Pennsylvania State University; Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA), President 
_dennis.vanengelsdorp at gmail.com_ (mailto:dennis.vanengelsdorp at gmail.com)  
717-497-1514 
2.      Jerry Hayes, Florida Department of Agriculture, Past President  
AIA, hayesg at doacs.state.fl.us, 352 372-3505 
3.      Jeff Pettis USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville,  MD,  
_jeff.pettis at ars.usda.gov_ (mailto:jeff.pettis at ars.usda.gov) , 301 504-8205  
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 This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American 
Beekeeping  _www.BeeCulture.com_ (http://www.beeculture.com/) . Proud supporter 
of EAS 2009 _www.easternapiculture.org_ (http://www.easternapiculture.org/)   





























































Laurie Davies Adams
Executive  Director
Pollinator Partnership 
423 Washington Street, 5th  floor
San Francisco, CA  94111
415-362-1137
LDA at pollinator.org

_www.pollinator.org_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) 

_www.nappc.org_ (http://www.nappc.org/) 

National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2009. 
Beecome  involved at _www.pollinator.org_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) 
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