Honey bee colonies for operations with five or more colonies in South Dakota as of January 1, 2020 totaled 20,000 according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The number of colonies in South Dakota on April 1, 2020 was 9,500. During 2019, honey bee colonies on January 1, July 1, and October 1 were 18,500, 255,000, and 189,000, respectively.
Honey bee colonies lost for operations with five or more colonies during the quarter of January-March 2020, was 1,200 colonies or 6% lost. During April-June 2020, 4,600 colonies or 2% of colonies were lost. The quarter of July-September 2019, at 51,000 or 20%, showed the highest number of lost honey bee colonies of any quarter during 2019. The quarter of January- March 2019 had a loss of 1,100 colonies or 6%, the lowest number of honey bee colonies lost in 2019.
Honey bee colonies added for operations with five or more colonies during the quarter of January-March 2020, was 20 colonies. The number of colonies added during the April-June 2020 quarter was 8,500. The quarter of July-September 2019, added 1,300 colonies, the highest number of honey bee colonies added for any quarter in 2019. The quarters of January-March 2019 and October-December 2019, did not have colonies added during 2019.
Honey bee colonies renovated for operations with five or more colonies during the quarter of January-March 2020, was 0 colonies. The number of colonies renovated during the quarter of April-June 2020 was 14,500. During July-September 2019, 8,000 colonies were renovated, the highest number of colonies renovated during 2019. The lowest number of honey bee colonies renovated for any quarter, at 0, occurred during January-March 2019. Renovated colonies are those that were requeened or received new honey bees through a nuc or package.
Pesticides were the number one stressor for operations with five or more colonies during two of the quarters in 2019. The quarter of July-September 2019 showed the highest percentage of pesticides in 2019, at 14%. The percent of colonies reported to be affected by pesticides during January-March 2020, and April-June 2020 were 2.1% and 0.4%, respectively.
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