A Survey on Wintering Losses and its Possible Causes in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies in Ardahan Region

In this study, the results of a survey administered to migratory and settled beekepers in Ardahan were evaluated and their charesteristics with respect to, colony management in autumn, over wintering, and bee diseases were investigated. It has been found that most of the beekeepers in the region (90.60%) give autumn feed, they have used 57.75% sugar syrup in large quantities in this feed, and it is not very common to feed with honey syrup. The results of the survey show that Ardahan beekepers are sensitive to the queen bee control and varroa investations during the autumn season. While the vast majority of migratory beekepers in the study area reported that 67.65% of wintering losses were 10% or less, settled beekepers found that 54.95% of wintering losses were between 10-19%