PENNSYLVANIA (WHTM) — So, how are the bees doing?

One beekeeper told abc27 that populations are still low, but educating the public has helped drastically.

Winter is a tough time for bees, and between 2020 and 2021 Pennsylvania beekeepers lost about 40 percent of their hives.

There are things non-beekeepers can do during spring to help, like avoiding pesticide sprays and planting pollinator-friendly flowers/plants.

“Helping plant different things that they feed off of will help out as well, they wont’ have to travel maybe as far. That is very helpful for bees, not just honeybees but our wild bees, our native bees that we have here as well,” said Michael Poe of the Franklin County Beekeepers Association.

Beekeepers also say for their bees, spotted lanternflies have been a blessing because the bugs excrete honeydew, which is an excellent food source for bees.