Native Landscapes

After a couple of years of observing a neighbor’s bee colonies go through their seasonal cycles, Bonnie & Gary decided to join in on the fun and get their first hive.  They were spellbound immediately and had their second hive within the week.

Like many beekeepers, they found that beekeeping today is not for the faint of heart and lost one (50%) of their two hives over the first winter.  This pattern continued.  Bonnie wanted to know why and in 2009 started the annual Marin County Bee Census Survey.  The data collected in the years since has shown an average annual reported loss of 44% of honeybee colonies.  Locally adapted stock (in the form of splits) and early season swarms (presumably winter survivors) have consistently shown better rates of survival.