People like Bethlehem’s Paul Snellen teach and
embrace the rituals of conventional beekeeping,
including hive treatment options that Snellen
acknowledges can have some adverse effects.
Others, like Rodale Institute’s Mike Schmaeling,
prioritize a chemical-free method focusing on
the resilience of bees and innovative
breeding techniques.
But overall, as beekeepers work collectively to
manage colony health, they’re still fighting an
uphill battle.
Beekeepers in the United States lost an
estimated 45.5% of their managed honeybee
colonies last year, according to a survey
conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed
Partnership. Pennsylvania’s beekeepers reported
a 54% annual loss, and Snellen estimates Lehigh
Valley losses at around 30%-40% or more.
The numbers prove beekeepers are
encountering mass demise and must constantly
work to restore honeybee numbers. They can
only do so by honing in on the main causes of
colony loss in their operations.
WHAT’S KILLING THE HONEYBEES?
In 2017, beekeepers, researchers and
conservationists from across the state gathered
to write the Pennsylvania Pollinator Protection
Plan. It outlined threats facing the honeybees
and offered advice on how best to protect them.
The recommendations, which included best
practices for beekeepers and pesticide use,
were spurred by threats to pollinators. During
the winter of 2016-17, beekeepers across the
commonwealth reported 52% losses in their
colonies. Other pollinators, like some species of
Image: Rick Kintzel