One in five bee colonies failed to survive Swiss winter

One in five Swiss bee colonies failed to survive the winter Keystone-SDA

Almost a fifth of bee colonies in Switzerland failed to survive the winter. Losses have been greater than in previous years.

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The Lake Geneva region has been hardest hit, Apisuisse reported on Wednesday.

According to the traditional winter mortality survey, 18.9% of colonies did not make it through the cold season, a proportion up 4% on the previous year.

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Bee colony mortality was highest in the Lake Geneva region, at 28.9%. The canton of Zurich (23.3%) and Ticino (22.5%) were also above the national average. Central Switzerland has the lowest mortality rate, at 15.8%.

‘Cement’ honey

Winter mortality in bee colonies is a complex phenomenon. For around two decades, losses have fluctuated at a high level, with no clear trend, according to Apisuisse.

This winter, forest honey has attracted particular attention. Colonies that spent the winter on forest honey recorded significantly higher loss rates (23.4%) than those fed other foods (16.4%).

The reason could be linked to so-called cement honey, which contains a high proportion of melezitose, a sugar that causes honey to crystallise in the combs. According to Apisuisse, bees need a lot of energy and water to process this honey. It is also difficult for them to digest.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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