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Ray Alley lost about half of his 40 honeybee hives this winter.

The Clearcreek Twp. resident wasn't the only Warren County beekeeper to see a large die-off this year.

Marian Ackman of Hamilton Twp. saw about half of his hives die. And statewide, the honeybee die-off rate was even higher — 72 percent — and touched every county, Ohio Apiarist John Grafton said.

Ohio's honeybee losses had more to do with harsh winter weather than colony collapse disorder, which has been in the news nationally and occurs when adult bees abandon the hive for unknown reasons, Grafton said.

"All I had this year was normal winter losses," Alley said.

"A couple of mine looked like colony collapse," Ackman said. "The rest actually starved to death."

The disorder primarily has plagued honeybee colonies trucked from Florida to California for large-scale pollination of fruit and vegetable crops, Grafton said. Hobby beekeepers weren't hit as hard.

But the large winter die-off and increasing environmental stress still has beekeepers, fruit farmers and people who study bees worried.

Bee hive stress

Ohio's honeybees haven't suffered the large losses from colony collapse disorder seen in other states. But beekeepers and experts still worry about increasing stresses on one of nature's most important pollinators.

Honeybee populations across the state dipped in the 1980s and early 1990s when parasitic mites arrived in the state, said James Tew, state bee specialist with The Ohio State University Bee Lab in Wooster.

Since then, rapid urbanization, killer bees, harsh weather and small hive beetles all have added stress to honeybees.

Warren County Honeybee Inspector Destry Carrier inspected nearly every apiary — a place where hives are kept — in Warren County last year. He found the small hive beetle, whose larva can destroy a hive's comb and food supply, for the first time in Warren County in three separate locations. This year he's inspected about 30 apiaries, and so far he's only found mites, he said.

Cheap honey from China and high gas prices have forced some large-scale beekeepers out of business, Tew said.

Tew, who has a Ph.D. in entomology and has studied bees for 35 years, said the number of beekeepers in Ohio fell from 12,000 to 4,000 over the past 30 years.

"Our numbers continue to become increasingly tight," Tew said. "That threatens our ability to respond to pollination needs." Other pollinators like butterflies and leaf cutter and mining bees also are in decline across the state, he said.

Bee dependence

Hidden Valley Fruit Farm owner Bob Ullrich said he uses about 20 honeybee hives to pollinate the apple, peach, blueberry, strawberry and raspberry crops at his 76-acre farm on Ohio 48 north of Lebanon.

He estimates there's a 96- to 100-hour window when the fruit blossoms are open and capable of being pollinated.

"When you're growing acres and acres of fruit, you can't depend on wild pollinators," Ullrich said. "We need honeybees to pollinate the fruit on time."

Joe Kleather, owner of Kleather's Pumpkin Patch in Springboro, said the state recommends between one and three hives for every acre of pumpkins. Last year he had 29 hives for his 12 acres of pumpkins. After the winter he was left with six. He's caught a few swarms this spring, but Kelather said he's still concerned about his yields this fall.

"This year, I don't know," Kleather said. "It's like rolling the dice."

But hobby beekeeping both in Warren County and across the state has grown in popularity, and beekeepers like Ray Alley, who has 40 hives scattered across the county, are becoming increasingly important to smaller growers, Tew said.

The Warren County Beekeepers Association has about 50 members. And the number of apiaries grew from 77 in 1995 to 96 last year, according to state apiary registration figures.

Alley sells his honey at the Lebanon Farmers' Market, area festivals and out of his home on Ohio 48.

"It's strictly a hobby," he said. "I figure my labor at 5 cents an hour."

Alley sells his honey at $5.50 per pound, but with high gas prices he might not break even this year, he said.

About Colony Collapse Disorder

The disorder first came to the attention of beekeepers last year, but James Tew, a state beekeeping specialist, said similar disorders have been described as far back as 1915. State apiarist John Grafton estimates that only 5 to 6 percent of Ohio's 72 percent die-off this winter was due to colony collapse.

Indicators: Adult bees abandon the hive, leaving the brood and stored honey and pollen behind. Bees from surrounding hives do not raid the vacant hive for its leftover resources. Wax moths delay laying their larva in the abandoned hive for a few months.

Causes: Cell phones are not responsible for the disorder, Grafton said. Researchers are exploring many possibilities, including: viruses and bacteria, management style, genetics, nutrition, pesticides and pests like mites, beetles and moths.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4527 or dwells@coxohio.com.