By JOHN SCHMITZ

For the Capital Press

Nearly 250 Northwest beekeepers are expected to show up in Seaside, Ore., Nov. 19-21 for the annual Northwest Corner Beekeeping Conference.

Colony collapse disorder and wintering bees indoors will be among the many topics discussed at the event, which is presented by the Oregon and Washington state beekeepers’ associations.

Beekeepers need not belong to either association to attend the conference, said Oregon State Beekeepers’ Association vice president Mark Johnson.

Among the dozen or so speakers will be USDA-ARS’ Frank Eischen, who will compare different protein feed products on the market.

Oregon State University honeybee researcher Ramesh Sagili will give an update on his research and will also be the keynote speaker at the Nov. 20 luncheon. Among other things, Sagili has been involved with a baseline study tracking the current levels of various honeybee pests and diseases in Oregon. Further studies will use the baseline study as a reference point in the treatment of such pests as varroa mites and diseases such as foulbrood.

Johnson said colony collapse continues to be the main concern among American beekeepers. Contrary to some news reports, he said, the syndrome has plagued many Pacific Northwest beekeepers.

“There have been beekeepers in Oregon who have suffered severe losses, as high as 60 and 70 percent,” Johnson said.

He told of one large beekeeper in the Willamette Valley who tossed in the towel recently after losing 50 percent of his hives year after year. “He just got tired of replacing them.”

Johnson, who runs about 800 hives in the Portland area, said almonds “are basically what’s keeping us in business.”

A good chunk of the $150 he earns per hive in almonds goes to replacing lost bees, he said.

Johnson said that since varroa mites started showing up in Northwest beehives in the late 1980s, he has been losing 35 percent of his bees every year compared with 5 to 10 percent pre-varroa.

Freelance writer John Schmitz is based in Salem, Ore. E-mail: johns6869@msn.com.

Information: www.orsba.org or 503-621-3137.