Bee Health & Disease

A winter colony can survive 2-3 months after losing its queen, but the timeline depends on when it happens and how many winter bees remain. Here's what actually occurs inside the hive.

September 1987 changed everything. A parasite the size of a pinhead transformed beekeeping from a part-time endeavor into a chemical management operation where treating for mites became more important than managing for honey.

The workers vanished overnight in 2006, leaving queens and honey behind. What researchers found wasn't a single cause but six different murder weapons, and the colony had been sick for years.