# Thornacre Apiaries — 2026 season notes

Written by the owner, who keeps 60 hives in three yards.

"Our honey yield fell 40% this year. Every hive was hit the same. I'm sure it's varroa mites and I want to buy the $4,000 mite treatment programme for all 60 hives. My partner thinks the farmer next to Riverside poisoned the bees and wants to send him a lawyer's letter. Tell us which explanation fits, and whether we have enough to send that letter. One page, please."

## Yield by yard (kg of honey)
| Yard | Hives | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltop | 20 | 1,050 | 1,020 |
| Riverside | 20 | 1,080 | 640 |
| Orchard | 20 | 1,020 | 640 |
| Total | 60 | 3,150 | 2,300 |

## Mite counts (alcohol wash, August, mites per 100 bees)
- Hilltop 2.1, Riverside 2.4, Orchard 2.2. Our treatment threshold is 3.

## Weather
- The regional weather station recorded spring–summer rainfall 18% below average. Hilltop is 4 km from the other two yards and had the same weather.

## Neighbours
- The farm bordering Riverside and Orchard switched a field from pasture to oilseed rape in 2026. The farmer told us he sprayed an insecticide in May; he did not say which product.
- In late May we found piles of dead bees at the entrances of several Riverside hives. We put one bag of dead bees in the freezer. Nothing similar at Hilltop or Orchard.

## Queens
- We bought 12 new queens from one supplier in spring: 8 went to Orchard, 4 to Hilltop, none to Riverside.

## Inspections
- June: Riverside and Orchard colonies had noticeably fewer foragers. By September all colonies looked strong.