Local beekeepers feel sting of bee loss

The loss of honeybee colonies has been significant to local beekeepers in Waukesha County and surrounding areas.

As many as 70% of U.S. honeybee colonies will be lost, researchers at Washington State University said last month, thanks to a combination of factors such as disease, hunger and poisoning.

Bill Werning, a beekeeper in Sullivan, lost half of his operation, or 60 hives, this past winter.

"That is the first time I had that type of loss over 10 years. I normally lose 10% or less," Werning said.

Doug Koltermann is the president of the Walworth County Beekeepers Association and owns Koltermann Farms farmstand in Mukwonago.

"Commercial beekeepers have experienced a 62% loss of colonies on average across commercial beekeeping operations. All told, 1.6 million U.S. colonies have been lost worth about $600 million estimated. It is very significant," Koltermann said.

For him personally, he lost 26 out of 80 colonies, or a third of Koltermann’s bees over winter. Like Werning, he normally loses about 10-15% of his colonies over winter.

"I had a more significant loss this past winter," he said. Andy Hemken, a Big Bend resident, has been a beekeeper for over 29 years. He got into the activity while in his local Rotary Club and expanded over time. Hemken has lost most of his bee colonies from last fall and over the winter.

"We are running roughly 400 hives around Waukesha County and surrounding areas. We went into winter with 170 and came out with 20-30. It was a financial hit," he said.

He retails his honey through farmers markets, which has helped financially.

What is causing the slaughter of bees

The last time there was a honeybee collapse was 25 years ago, according to Hemken.

"This kind of tops everything. Everyone is concerned. Right now we are able to produce replacement bees but it is such a loss financial and otherwise," Hemken said.

From Hemken’s expertise, the biggest threat has been the varroa mite. The mites eat the larvae and pupae (the bee before it hatches). He said the mites crawl around on the bees and eventually go after their abdomen, burrow through and eat their liver.

"It is basically like a tick on the bee. Mites transmit a virus among honeybees. Beekeepers have to treat for varroa mites to get rid of them in the colonies," Koltermann said.

Unfortunately, the mites are building up a resistance to treatments used in the past. Beekeepers are experiencing more difficulties in treating mites. Koltermann said other contributing factors to bee deaths include pesticide exposure. There are chemicals that are residual on plants which are visited by honeybees. While it may not kill the honeybees right away, they transfer some of those pesticides back to the colonies. The poison accumulates in the wax that the honeybees have for their comb.

"Over time those pesticides become an additional stressor for the hive to deal with," he said.

Koltermann added experts also point to climate change as a reason why there is not quality nutrition for the bees combined with a loss of habitats.

"There has been a lot of urban sprawls in the United States. Some of the forests are being taken down. Subdivisions are being expanded, and more lawns are being put there and less natural habitats. The bees have less habitats to forage on," he said.

Impact of the loss of bee colonies

Honeybees pollinate $19 billion worth of crops, according to Hemken. This includes fruit and nuts.

"It’s a large part of agriculture," Hemken said. Koltermann added bees pollinate 75% of the fruits and nuts humans consume. Without adequate pollination the crop yields will be down and quality will be less.

"Less supplies will impact the cost of the products. It is pretty significant when we have these types of losses. The fact that honeybees pollinate directly or indirectly 35% of the world’s foods that are consumed. It is significant," Koltermann said.

Bloomberg Opinion article "Dead bees are a symptom of modern farming" contributed to this report.