SALEM, Ore. — One in five of the state’s commercial honeybee colonies did not survive the winter, according to data Oregon State University released Monday.
The school’s experts say that if such winter mortality continues, some professional beekeepers may not be able to stay in business.
Losing 10 to 15 percent of colonies is considered sustainable, said OSU entomologist Ramesh Sagili. But Oregon’s die-off rate last winter was 21.1 percent, near the average of 22 percent over the last six years.
Replacing lost colonies, which usually include around 50,000 bees, requires time and labor, he said. A beekeeper must purchase a queen, then take bees from a healthy colony. “That’s one more reason I don’t see a new generation of beekeepers getting into beekeeping,” he said. “It’s not survivable. If they keep losing at that pace, he or she as a new beekeeper probably won’t be in business for long.”