Beekeeper Rick Lisi inspects a honey bee hive.

Beekeeper Rick Lisi inspects a honey bee hive.
By Megan Alley
Sun staff

Honey bee populations continued to decline from April 2014 to April 2015. While winter honey bee colony losses were down, summer losses rose, bringing the total annual losses to 42.1 percent. This number is up from 34.2 percent in 2013-2014.

The findings are reported in the annual survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,the Apiary Inspectors of America and the Bee Informed Partnership. The report notes that 2014-2015 is the second highest annual loss recorded to date.

The early findings are reported in the annual survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,the Apiary Inspectors of America and the Bee Informed Partnership.

While winter honey bee colony losses were down, summer losses rose, bringing the total annual losses to 42.1 percent. The report notes that this is the second highest annual loss recorded to date.

Losses in the state of Ohio are reported at 49.8 percent, which is above the national average.

“Honey bee populations are stressed for a number of reasons,” said Brett Gates, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Agriculture. “Pests, diseases, viruses, rough winters and other weather factors all take their toll.”

Studies are being done to determine the effects fertilizers have on honey bees, added Gates.

He estimates that honey bees add between $15 billion to $18 billion to the value of agriculture each year.

“Honey bees play a vital role in agriculture. One out of every three bites of food you take is attributed to the work bees do,” said Gates. “In Ohio, bees work to pollinate fruit plants like apples, melons and pumpkins.”

According to Gates, there is a steady increase of beekeepers and bee colonies, but bee population numbers are down.

“People recognize the importance and struggles of bees,” said Gates. “They are taking steps to maintain healthy and hardy hives.”

Local beekeeper Rick Lisi of Loveland lost two of his three bee colonies to starvation this year during the cold spell in early March.

“Winter bees live about three months, which is a much longer time than the 40 days summer bees live,” explained Lisi. “Winter bees need a rich diet to sustain a chemical reaction that causes them to gather in a tight ball and constantly shiver in order to produce body heat that protects the queen bee in the center. The center of the ball gets up to about 100 degrees”

When the weather started to warm, the bees started to leave the hive to forage for food, but the colony didn’t have enough nutrients to survive the sudden cold snap.

Lisi, who has been beekeeping for the past 12 years, said he’s noticed a steady decline in the bee population, and contributes much of the losses to colony collapse disorder.

“Mites get in and attack the bees. They pass on diseases,” said Lisi. “That along with contamination from pesticides creates a soup that disorients bees. The bees may go out to forage for food, but they don’t find their way back to the hive.”

Lisi has learned a lot from beekeeping, adding that the bees have taught him that nature is in trouble.

“The bees are losing their habitat, which should show us that we are doing something wrong,” said Lisi. “Everyone wants a perfectly manicured green lawn, but that is a mistake. We’re over-spraying our lawns with pesticides and herbicides, and that is negatively effecting our honey bee population.”

Lisi and Gates both suggest that people grow more flowering plants to help increase habitats for bees.

“We need less lawns and more gardens,” said Lisi. “Folks need to let dandelions grow because they are good for the bees and birds, and dandelions aren’t going to hurt anyone.”

According to Lisi, there are more than 1,000 types of bees. He said honey bees will only try to sting you if you try to take their food, called honey.

“To avoid bee stings, don’t wear black because it reminds bees of black bears and skunks, who love to take their honey” said Lisi. “Don’t wear perfume because it attracts bees. And, don’t swat or try to hit bees. Just let them alone and they will leave you alone.”

He said that bees swarm when they are trying to find a new home, and they prefer to start hives in dark, warm and dry places. If someone finds an unwanted bee hive, Lisi recommends contacting a local beekeeper association to transport it safely to a new home.

For more information on honey bees, and for a list of county bee association contacts, visit the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s website at www.agri.ohio.gov/apiary/.