Rising Temperatures Kill Thousands of Austrian Bees

Unprecedented temperature increases caused by climate change have led to the mass die-off of tens of thousands of bee colonies in Austria over the past winter, making extreme heat a primary driver of colony collapse.

Austria’s 33,000 beekeepers are alarmed by the loss of thousands of colonies from the country’s total of about 460,000.

In Vienna alone, around 2,000 colonies perished, accounting for nearly one-third of the city's 6,000 bee colonies, according to Kurt Krottendorfer, president of Vienna’s Beekeepers Association.

Krottendorfer noted that Vienna loses between 10 to 15 percent of its bee colonies annually, but the situation is even more severe in other Austrian states.

He highlighted additional factors contributing to the decline, including pesticide use and modern farming practices that reduce flowering plants and eliminate wild herbs essential for bees' nectar and food supply.

Mild winters exacerbate the problem by increasing infestations of parasites such as the Varroa mite, which attacks both adult bees and their larvae. The mites’ bites weaken the bees and allow viruses to spread, further devastating populations.