It’s now May of 2011 and I’m happy to report that the little co-op effort we started last season has continued to grow steadily despite it being a very tough year for honeybees overall.

In 2010, the Co-Op:

• Organized (Yes…I realize that’s probably a generous description of our actual structure.)
• Built and installed 10 new Warre style hives
• Caught and hived 3 swarms
• Enjoyed a harvest season bee-potluck together
• Harvested about 250 pounds of honey overall

In 2011, we have so far:

• Built and added another 18 hives including 4 new Warre hives and 14 Keyna style top-bar hives. We are among the first beekeepers locally to experiment with the new Kenya style hives.
• Hosted a bee-installation workshop
• Caught and hived one swarm
• Scheduled a spring bee-potluck for Saturday, May 21

A Tough Winter for Bees

Across the United States, honeybees had a very difficult time last year. Overall colony losses approached 40%. In some locals, losses were closer to 50%. Most experts talk about these losses in terms of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), probably a complex of causes which very likely threatens the survival of honeybees as a entire species.