2023/24 Winter Capped
Brood Monitoring

The status of capped brood in honey bee colonies during winter is critical information beekeepers must consider when choosing an appropriate control product for the mite Varroa destructor. As colonies emerge from winter, insight into colony brood rearing also helps beekeepers plan for early spring management, such as feeding and swarm control.

Although colonies located in many parts of the United States experience predictable extended periods without brood, this may not be the case for those in coastal and southern regions with mild winters.

To help beekeepers make appropriate management decisions during winter and early spring, 10 land-grant universities, 1 statewide cooperative extension system, 5 USDA ARS labs (Baton Rouge, Beltsville, Poplarville, Stoneville, Tucson), and 5 beekeepers are jointly monitoring the amount of capped brood in their colonies throughout the country from mid-October 2023 to the end of February 2024.

This page will be updated approximately every 2 weeks so that the amount of capped brood in the monitored colonies can be communicated to the beekeeping community.

Biweekly Static Maps

Each blue point on a map below represents the average amount of capped brood among all monitored colonies at a particular location, as expressed as deep frame equivalents. One deep frame equivalent represents 100% coverage of capped brood on both sides of the frame.

Resources for Beekeepers

• Honey Bee Health Coalition – Information on varroa management
• American Beekeeping Federation & American Honey Producers Association – Information on how to connect to your local or regional association

Collaborators

• Alabama Extension Beekeeping Team
• Auburn University Bee Lab
• Auburn University GeoIDEA Lab
• Central State University
• Cornell University
• University of Florida
• University of Georgia
• Mississippi State University (Amiri)
• Mississippi State University (Chakrabarti)
• Oregon State University
• Penn State University
• University of Tennessee
• Texas A&M University
• USDA ARS Baton Rouge
• USDA ARS Beltsville
• USDA ARS Poplarville
• USDA ARS Stoneville
• USDA ARS Tucson
• Beekeeper Josephine Johnson
• Beekeeper Patrick McCalman
• Beekeeper Charlie Parton
• Beekeeper Mark Sweatman