It was recently reported honey producers across Canada experienced fewer losses of bees over the last winter on average, than in previous years.

That trend's reflected in this province as well, according to Marc Nichol of Prairie Honeyworks in the MacGregor area, who notes losses were a little better than average.

He says producers whose bees wintered outside had a little more success this year.

"I don't know if it's the break in the weather that we had -- we had a number of them. The producers that were inside were a little bit more vulnerable to that weather change. And so, in our situation anyway, we found that the colonies went out a little bit weaker. Not so much that they were losses, but went out a little bit weaker."

Nichol says normally, bees wintering outside don't do as well as those inside.

"With change of weather this year where we had days when it was so cold, and then it would warm up, the bees were starting change their metabolism in the building. Which I think the bees outside were able to fly off, and allow them to cleanse themselves, because it's a cleansing flight in the spring. A start of the year that gets the bees going, and of course the guys inside don't get that."

Nichol adds while inside-wintering took a little longer to become productive, they're in good condition now.