A Rhinelander-based beekeeper reports that 2025 was a challenging year due to colony losses last winter and reduced honey harvest this summer.
Chris Hansen of Hansen Honey Farm tells Mid-West Farm Report the season began with an aggressive focus on recovery because of high overwintering losses.
“Coming off last year being just an absolute horrible year for losses, pretty widespread,” he says, noting that high bee sales and prices added to the burden.
He attributes many of these losses to mite-related issues and possibly new viruses. Following a wet spring, an intense dry spell hit during the summer months, greatly reducing honey flow. Hansen explains that the moisture pattern reversed a trend that usually favors production.
“What we made in the spring, we ate all summer, trying to keep the bees alive,” Hansen states.
He reported that his own farm’s average honey production dropped dramatically, going from a typical 45-50 pound average to only about five pounds this year.
To prepare for the next season, beekeepers were focused on fall management, including mite and disease control, and ensuring ample feed supplies. Hansen also advocates for better support systems for pollinators. He would like to see better management of forage and pesticides in order to protect bees and their habitats.
