Winter losses

[MickBBKA]

How are your bees doing ?
In my area we are starting to hear of substantial losses of colonies this winter with several reporting between 50% and 100% losses. These folk are very experienced keepers, some losing over 15 colonies. I have personally lost about 15% which is way beyond my usual average of 0-5%. Keepers are reporting die outs with colonies still holding large stores.
I have lost 5 colonies but 4 were all in the same location, facing west which has been blasted with +25mph winds or more for 4 months now. My apiary 75 yards on the other side of the wood facing east hasn't lost one. The early prunis has been destroyed this late winter / early spring which my bees forage on so I think my pollen sub feed has helped keep my losses down. I also wonder if the lack of flying days has prevented water collection for processing stored honey for consumption.

[NigelP]

Can only speak for the ones in my garden and all were flying yesterday...whether I have any drone laying queens is yet to be seen.
Expecting one loss at out apiary as cappings on varroa tray indicated a very very small colony which is never a good sign.

[AdamD]

I have looked at some of my colonies and they are generally small - but still alive. It's either been too cold, too wet or too windy or a combination of the above for far too many days over recent weeks. Colonies have carbs but had no pollen although this should improve - bees have been flying over the past few days off and on. And I've never had so much OSR around my colonies as this year which is now starting to flower.

It's too early to say whether the bees at my out apiary are smaller colonies than at home - the out apiary hives are next to a field and facing west which keeps the cold wind from the sea away from them but it can be OK in my garden and rather windy at the field.

At the field I kept the mite boards in after the oxalic acid thing at Christmas time. (I usually remove them). It's just the Thornes correx boards that have blown away!

[nealh]

I have seven colonies and all alive, one I'm pretty sure is a good size. Peering through the clear insulated CB I count 9 seams, though I'm not counting any chickens just yet as winter die off of the old bee will be occurring and ongoing now for several weeks.
Three have new late summer & Autumn queens so they may or may not do so well, won't know until I have a chance of a first inspection and to whether they are drone layers or not.