After a long and harsh winter honey bee populations are beginning to make a comeback.

Local beekeepers have attributed the lower numbers due to a dry fall, long, winter and drought-like conditions earlier this spring, which has decreased the number of food sources for bees.

"There are definitely losses, I believe the Manitoba average is somewhere around 30 to 35 percent," shares local beekeeper and owner of Border Hills Honey, Josh Wiebe. "Since it was such a long winter I've been hearing some higher numbers, which is unfortunate."

Over winter bees are stored in sheds or left outside covered in an insulating wrap. To sustain themselves due to the limited honey, bees will reduce their numbers, huddling together and buzzing their wings to stay warm.

Wiebe says it was mid-April when they took their bees from their overwinter shed. This lateness and lack of flowers have made it difficult for beehives to replenish their numbers, which can reach upwards of 100,000 mid-summer.

A queen is marked with paint to easier identify from the drones.

To counteract the lack of pollen beekeepers have been using a protein-rich pollen supplement to give the bees a source of food as they wait for dandelions and other flowering plants to bloom.

Spring is also the time when it's important to look at the overall health of a bee colony. Beekeepers will check the mite levels, which can weaken a bees health making it susceptible to bacterial or viral infections. Beekeepers will also begin to split hives, creating new colonies and reducing a hive's size to prevent swarms.

A hives queen can last an average of three years and there have been studies done to find out what has reduced the longevity of queens, says Wiebe.

"There are so many factors out there right now that can affect the quality of queen stock. Whether it's imported queens and where they're coming from. Some studies are showing that there might be some contaminants in pollen that the bees are maybe collecting."

Overall Manitoba honey bee populations have been doing well, due to diligent work of beekeepers in the area the Backyard Beekeepers in Morden and a new association the South Central Beekeepers Association which discusses overall bee health and the best ways to maintain one's livestock.

To learn more about honey bees click here.