Over 20 percent of bee colonies failed to survive the winter months

A significant number of bees did not survive through the last winter in the Netherlands. Around 22 percent of the bee colonies died during the colder weather, which is a slight increase compared to the previous year. According to Wageningen University & Research, this is the third winter in a row in which at least 20 percent of bees failed to survive.

Researchers have said that there could be several reasons that a colony dies. This often happens when the queen, who leads the group of bees, dies. A “lack of food, diseases, and weakness before winter” could also play a role in the death of the colonies.

Almost one in three bee colonies dies in the province of Utrecht, with around a quarter of the colonies dying in Noord-Holland, Groningen, and Noord-Brabant. Around 11.4 percent of bee colonies in Flevoland died during the winter months, which is the lowest number amongst the provinces.

The data is based on a survey among more than 3,000 beekeepers in the Netherlands.