Winterlosses in Norway 2024-2025

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Dear Beekeeper,

A working group of the international research network COLOSS has prepared a survey to study winter losses of bee colonies and identify their causes. The survey is performed in many countries, allowing comparisons between them, and will help identify regional differences in losses along with the factors behind them.

Please, answer the questions to the best of your knowledge. If you don't have exact numbers, it is better that you give an approximate answer rather than not answering at all. Notice that questions marked with (*) need to be filled in to be able to move forward in the survey. Use the information about the situation around 1st May. We know there are many differences between different areas in Norway: in some places bees are already out and about in March / April whereas in other places this will not happen until almost June. However, we need to collect data in a standardized way, and therefore we use 1st May as a reference.

If the website with the survey does not work properly, please try deleting the recent history on your browser (for example, for the last hour or the last day) and try again.

Due to security reasons, the survey will be closed after 1 hour. We encourage you to use the help document that you can download, print out and take with you to your apiary. This will make it easier to remember, until you can answer the survey online. You can find the help document here .

At the end of the survey you will be able to print out a copy of your answers or save them as a PDF. You can use this as documentation about your own beekeeping.

Your personal information will not be provided to any third party, to protect your privacy.

The survey will be open until 31st May.

Thanks! Your cooperation is much appreciated.

Greetings,

Linn Fenna Groeneveld

Norges Birøkterlag

linn@norbi.no

There are 28 questions in this survey.

Winterlosses

Please state the name of a city/town/village near your main apiary. If you have several apiaries, please choose the one with most colonies

Please, state the postal code (or a postal code nearby) to your main apiary

The majority of your bee colonies are:

Choose one of the following answers

Carnica
Dark bees (Apis mellifera mellifera)
Buckfast/intentional hybrid bees
Unintentional hybrid bees/don't know
No answer

How many nucs (split colonies; "avlegger" in Norwegian) made in 2024 did you winter in the fall of 2024? (see explanation under the answer box)

Only numbers may be entered in this field.

This survey is focused on the lost of production colonies. The nucs made in 2024 are NOT to be counted as production colonies. But to get an overview on the lost of nucs we have included two questions on this questionnaire.

How many of the nucs made in 2024 were lost during the winter of 2024-2025?

Only numbers may be entered in this field.

Include all loss causes

How many production colonies did you have before the winter 2024-2025?

Only an integer value may be entered in this field.

Please, only count production colonies, and no nuc or reserve colonies. This is also the case in the rest of the questions.

How many of these wintered colonies did you loose ...

Only integer values may be entered in these fields.

a) ... lose because they were alive but had unsolvable queen problems (queenless or dronelayers)
b) ... lose because of natural disaster (suffocation from snow, flood, bear, theft …)
c) ... lose because they are dead or empty hives?
Total:

In this question we would like to know the number of lost production colonies. If none, please answer 0.

The total number of lost colonies is automatically calculated.

Results:

Wintered colonies		= 100%
Colonies with queen problems		NAN%
Losses because of natural disaster		NAN%
Losses because dead or empty hives		NAN%
Total winter losses	0	NAN%

So you have wintered colonies, are dead (=NAN%), have queen problems (=NAN%) and are lost due to natural disaster (=NAN%).

This gives an overall loss rate for your operation of NAN%.

How many of the dead colonies or empty hives (ref. question 8c) did....

Only numbers may be entered in these fields.

The sum must equal .

(a) … had many dead bees in or in front of the hive?
(b)… had no or only a few dead bees in or in front of the empty hive?
(c) … had dead workers in cells and no food present in the hive
(d) … had dead workers in cells while food was present in the hive?
(e) … had none of the above or unknown symptoms?
Remaining:

NAN
Total:

If none, please answer 0. "Total" should be the same as (c) of lost colonies (dead or empty colonies) from question 8c (=).

Please treat options a) to e) as mutually exclusive for any one colony.

How many of the wintered colonies were weak but with normal laying queens in the spring 2025?

Only an integer value may be entered in this field.

How many of the wintered colonies had a new queen in 2024 (queen mated in 2024)?

Only an integer value may be entered in this field.

How many of your surviving colonies had a large amount of faeces ("bukløp" in Norwegian) inside the hive after winter?

Only an integer value may be entered in this field.

Did you migrate any of your colonies at least once for honey production or pollination in 2024?

	Yes	Uncertain	No
	Yes	Uncertain	No

Have you noticed bees with crippled/deformed wings in your colonies (during the summer season)? (These are signs of the presence of Deformed Wing Virus, which is spread by Varroa mites).

Choose one of the following answers

Not at all
To a limited extent
To a large extent
Don't know

How many kg of honey per colony did you get on average during the 2024 season?

Only numbers may be entered in this field.

Have you monitored your colonies for Varroa during the period April 2024 - March 2025?

	Yes	Uncertain	No
	Yes	Uncertain	No

What methods did you use to monitor your production colonies for varroa during the 2024/2025 season?

Check all that apply

Alcohol wash
Sticky board (or other collection tray below the hive)
Sugar shake / roll
Visual inspection of adult bees
Visual inspection of drone brood
Sent sample to lab

Do you keep your bees in an area where Varroa has still not been detected?

	Yes	Uncertain	No	No answer
	Yes	Uncertain	No	No answer

Have you treated your colonies against Varroa during the period April 2024 - March 2025?

	Yes	Uncertain	No
	Yes	Uncertain	No

Please, indicate the months when you monitored your production colonies for Varroa AND also indicate when you STARTED a Varroa treatment or management plan during the period April 2024 - March 2025?

	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Monitoring of Varroa infestation level (e.g. counting mite fall)	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Drone brood removal	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Hyperthermia (heat treatment of brood/bees)	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Other biotechnical method (as e.g. trapping comb, complete brood removal, queen confinement)	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Formic acid - short term	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Formic acid - long term (e.g. MAQS)	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Lactic acid	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Oxalic acid - trickling	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Oxalic acid - sublimation (evaporation)	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Oxalic acid mixtures (e.g. Hiveclean/Bienenwohl/Varromed)	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Another chemical product	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25
Another method	not at all	Apr 24	May 24	June 24	July 24	Aug 24	Sep 24	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 24	Mar 25

If you have used the same method over several months, state only the first month.

As a mode of prevention of spread of an invasive honey bee pest, the Tropilaelaps mite, are you familiar with the signs of this pest?

Yes
No
No answer

How trustworthy do you consider each of the following sources of information on beekeeping?

	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Scientists	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Beekeeping advisers	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Beekeeping associations	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Experienced beekeepers	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Veterinarians	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Government authorities	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Beekeeping magazines	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Beekeeping books	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Internet webpages/blogs	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
YouTube clips	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Tiktok	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Facebook	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Instagram	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
X (former: Twitter)	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
Reddit	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
LinkedIn	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer
AI-generated content (e.g. Chat-GPT)	Not at all	Sometimes	Most of the time	All of the time	No answer

The importance of the landscape for the health of bee families.

To what extent would you rate the importance of the following questions (1=not important, 7=very important)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	No answer
How important do you think the landscape is for bee health?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	No answer
How much do you know about the landscape in relation to pollen and nectar plants within a 3 km radius of your apiaries?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	No answer
How much influence do you have on the landscape around your apiary?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	No answer

Are you interested in tools that can help you evaluate the landscape?

Yes
No
No answer

What tools/programs/apps do you think would help you get a better understanding of the environment around the apiary? Write your suggestions.

Would it be OK to contact you in case we need additional information about the overwintering?

Yes
No
No answer

If you answered yes above, please fill in your email address

Make sure you enter a valid email address.

Here you have the possibility to add extra comments

Please confirm you want to clear your response?

Winterlosses in Norway 2024-2025

What is the name of the county (fylke) where you keep your bees? If you have bees in several counties, please select the one where you keep most of your bees for the longer period during the season

Please state the name of a city/town/village near your main apiary. If you have several apiaries, please choose the one with most colonies

Please, state the postal code (or a postal code nearby) to your main apiary

How many nucs (split colonies; "avlegger" in Norwegian) made in 2024 did you winter in the fall of 2024? (see explanation under the answer box)

How many of the nucs made in 2024 were lost during the winter of 2024-2025?

How many production colonies did you have before the winter 2024-2025?

How many of these wintered colonies did you loose ...

How many of the dead colonies or empty hives (ref. question 8c) did....

How many of the wintered colonies were weak but with normal laying queens in the spring 2025?

How many of the wintered colonies had a new queen in 2024 (queen mated in 2024)?

How many of your surviving colonies had a large amount of faeces ("bukløp" in Norwegian) inside the hive after winter?

Did you migrate any of your colonies at least once for honey production or pollination in 2024?

Have you noticed bees with crippled/deformed wings in your colonies (during the summer season)? (These are signs of the presence of Deformed Wing Virus, which is spread by Varroa mites).

Have you monitored your colonies for Varroa during the period April 2024 - March 2025?

Do you keep your bees in an area where Varroa has still not been detected?

Have you treated your colonies against Varroa during the period April 2024 - March 2025?

Please, indicate the months when you monitored your production colonies for Varroa AND also indicate when you STARTED a Varroa treatment or management plan during the period April 2024 - March 2025?

As a mode of prevention of spread of an invasive honey bee pest, the Tropilaelaps mite, are you familiar with the signs of this pest?

How trustworthy do you consider each of the following sources of information on beekeeping?

Would it be OK to contact you in case we need additional information about the overwintering?

If you answered yes above, please fill in your email address

Here you have the possibility to add extra comments