More bee colonies but fewer beekeepers in Switzerland

There were more than 183,000 bee colonies in Switzerland in 2022, compared to 165,000 in 2014. Keystone

Despite high annual bee losses, the number of colonies bred in Switzerland has grown over the last decade, new statistics show. However, they are being looked after by fewer and fewer beekeepers. 

These were the findings of the 2022 ‘Beekeeping in Switzerland’ report published on Thursday by Agroscope, the Swiss centre for agricultural research in Liebefeld, canton Bern. According to the report, the rebound began in the last decade after bottoming out in the 1990s.  

Agroscope’s census found that there were more than 183,000 bee colonies in Switzerland in 2022, compared to 165,000 in 2014. Colony density has also recovered, ensuring effective pollination in most regions. In 2022, there were 4.4 colonies per square kilometre; in the European Union (EU) this figure was 4.2.  

This means that the density of bee colonies roughly corresponds to that of the cantonal population, as sparsely populated areas also had fewer bee colonies. 

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The increase was accompanied by a higher number of bee colonies per beekeeper. From 9.4 in 2014, the number of colonies per keeper rose to 11.1 in 2022, meaning that beekeeping remains a small-scale domain.

At the same time, the number of beekeepers has decreased over a longitudinal comparison since 1940. In 2022, there were just under 16,500 officially registered beekeepers in Switzerland.  

Sharp increase in honey harvest  

Meanwhile, over the last 120 years, Agroscope has observed a big increase in honey production per colony, which has risen from around eight to 20 kilograms per year. At 7.1 kilograms, 2021 was the worst honey year since records began, while 2020 with 29.9 kilograms and 2022 with 23.9 kilograms were above average.  

The expansion of migratory beekeeping, cultivation of rapeseed and increase in ecological compensation areas have all positively impacted yields.  

But according to Agroscope, beekeepers are concerned about rising winter losses of bees throughout the northern hemisphere since the 2000s. In the last 15 years, these losses have often been well over 10% in Switzerland, a threshold which was only rarely exceeded in the 20th century. 

Adapted from German by DeepL/kp,dos 

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