120 beekeepers were surveyed by phone to learn how many hives started in the fall and how many survived into the spring. 50 members did not respond to the message left so it isn’t a totally comprehensive result.
Most were Langstroth hives with the occasional top bar, Warre or other innovative styles and were divided into 4 groups, over 20 hives, 10-19 hives, 5-9 hives and 1-4 hives. Invariably, the reasons given for problems were wasps or mites.
- 1-4 hives: 32%
- 5-9 hives: 43%
- 10-19 hives: 58%
- over 20 hives: 76%
What was different from previous surveys was the inconsistency in each group. For instance, with 10-19 hives and presumably indicating fairly experienced beekeepers, the results varied from 17% success to 80% success, averaging 58%.
For reference, see a similar report from for 2016/17.