More than 90 per cent of bee colonies in Austria survived the past winter in good health. This is the finding of a recent study by Robert Brodschneider, a biologist at the University of Graz. Mortality was lowest in Salzburg and Carinthia at 9.1 per cent, and highest in Vienna at 11.1 per cent. The national average stood at 9.7 per cent. “This puts it in fourth place in the statistics for the last 19 years and is a good three percentage points better than in the winter of 2024/25,” the researcher summarises. What was striking this year – despite a few outliers in individual districts – were the small regional differences. Last year, the east of the country recorded high loss rates, with Vienna even reaching just under 30 per cent. In Carinthia, by contrast, they stood at just 8.5 per cent. “The reasons for this are manifold, ranging from climatic to epidemiological causes, such as the occurrence of bee diseases and parasites, foremost among them the Varroa mite,” Brodschneider suggests. Small beekeeping operations recorded significantly higher losses.
The biologist has been recording winter mortality rates in bee colonies in accordance with international scientific standards since 2007/2008. This year, more than 1,100 beekeepers provided their data. This is used for risk analysis and to develop best-practice methods for sustainable beekeeping. The study will continue in 2027.