Spring Survey Report 2026
July 28, 2026
Every year we like to see how well the bees did over the winter. This survey does not replace the official OMAFA Winter Loss survey, which is used for provincial, national and research statistics and purposes, but we do like to see what is happening in Ontario with our members and followers.
Below are the summary points for the 2025/2026 Winter period.
Ontario Beekeepers reported winter losses in the spring of 2026 with 503 respondents reporting on 30,486 hives that went into the winter of 2025. The overall winter loss reported was 39.5%. Beekeepers also reported in-season losses prior to the 2025/2026 winter of 9.6%. The combination of in-season and winter losses means that beekeepers lost an average of 45.3% of their colonies over the last year.
Winter weather (33.9%), small clusters going into winter (29.3%), and queen issues (20.9%) were reported as the top three reasons for winter losses. Beekeepers who felt they had overwinter success reported effective Varroa control (56.1%), good sized clusters going into winter (55.7%), and effective fall feeding (53.4%) as the drivers of their success.
You can see the report for 2026 HERE.
See the OBA Spring 2025 Winterloss Survey Report HERE.
See the OBA report for Spring of 2024 HERE.
See the OBA report for Spring of 2023 HERE.
Or the report from Spring of 2022 HERE.
