Apiguard most successful treatment in Oregon
Overwintering losses of small-scale beekeepers in the state of Oregon, USA, were again very extensive, averaging 48%. Full report here.
In a survey of 416 backyard (hobbyist) beekeepers, Apiguard was recorded as the most effective treatment used (32% colony loss — Figure 22).
Amongst the non-chemical treatments used, only two measures (both designed to reduce drifting) performed better than the average — but only slightly better, 46% loss as opposed to 48% (Figure 21).
Reasons for losses are thought to be complex. The respondents thought varroa was the chief culprit, but queen failure, starvation, and weak colonies were also blamed (Figure 8).