Recent data reveals alarming colony loss rates averaging over 60%, posing a serious threat to crop pollination, food security, and beekeepers’ livelihoods. Read on to learn how these colony losses impact agriculture and what you can do to be involved in the conversation.
Honeybees: The Pillars of U.S. Agriculture
Honeybees are essential to modern agriculture, pollinating an estimated $15 billion worth of crops each year in the U.S. alone. They are responsible for pollinating more than 130 crops, including various fruits, nuts, and vegetables. One out of every three bites of food we eat depends on honeybee pollination.
California’s almond industry is the largest user of honeybee pollination services, requiring millions of colonies each year. Many of these hives are transported across the country in from late January to mid February and placed in orchards ahead of the bloom.
Almonds are a unique crop, requiring about two hives per acre for adequate pollination, while most crops only require 1 hive per acre. With almost 1 million acres of almond orchards in California, this means roughly 2 million bee hives are required for proper harvest yield!
Honeybees don’t just pollinate our crops, they also produce six hive products used for various applications- honey, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, and venom. According to the USDA, honeybees produced over $300M worth of honey alone in 2019. These hive products are used for various applications in nutrition, medicine, and cosmetics – highlight the far-reaching economic and ecological importance of honeybees.
2025 Begins With Alarming Colony Loss Rates
Recent reports have revealed distressing news in the honeybee industry. A nationwide survey conducted by Project Apis m. revealed that commercial beekeepers experienced an average loss of 62% of their colonies between June 2024 and February 2025, totaling over 1.1 million colonies lost. These losses significantly surpassed historical trends, which typically average about 40-50% each year, a rate that is already unsustainable for the industry. The current figures represent the most severe losses in nearly two decades.
Already, we are observing a shortage of colonies for almond pollination, with these severe loss rates making it difficult to fulfill the 2 million hives required for adequate pollination of the crop. In addition to the losses, commercial beekeepers are also reporting low quality colonies, with fewer frames of bees available to pollinate than normal. These losses and shortages will no doubt have an effect on the cost and availability of several fruits, vegetables, and nuts Americans rely on at each meal.
Beekeepers are now facing significant financial burdens, with estimated direct colony losses amounting to $224.8 million. When factoring in lost pollination income, the total economic impact could reach $634.7 million.
Data provided by Project Apis m.
Addressing The Causes and Losses
In response to this crisis, a coalition of organizations, including Project Apis m., the American Beekeeping Federation, the American Honey Producers Association, and USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, MD has mobilized to assess the situation and develop strategies to mitigate further losses. These organizations have supported the collection of honeybee samples from various commercial operations in both surviving colonies and dead colonies. A comprehensive analysis of pathogen, chemical, and parasite residues will be performed, along with analyzing weather patterns, field data, and chemical risk factors.
Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact cause of the losses. They could be due to poor nutrition, disease, pesticides, or any number of reasons – all we have now is speculation until testing of honeybee samples has been completed. Thorough testing of these samples may take months to complete a full analysis of pesticide residues and genetic screening for disease presence and resistance.
How To Stay Involved In The Conversation
A public webinar is scheduled for February 28, 2025, to discuss preliminary findings and potential management recommendations. Hosted by Project Apis m., the webinar will provide insight to beekeepers, farmers, and policy makers to help them understand the extent of the losses and the current mitigation and research efforts.
Click here to register for the free webinar.
If you are a commercial beekeeper who has experienced severe losses, we urge you to submit for Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP). This will help the USDA understand the extent of the losses and potentially provide financial relief for your operation. ELAP processing may temporarily be disabled due to program freezes – check frequently as this freeze may be lifted.
Anyone can help by writing letters to the USDA Secretary of Agriculture and your local legislature informing them of the losses and urging for more research funding and support for beekeepers.
Dalan Animal Health Stands With The Beekeeping Industry
The health of honeybee populations is inextricably linked to agricultural productivity and food security. At Dalan, we stand with the beekeeping industry during this challenging time. We remain committed to protecting honeybee health and advocating for solutions that support beekeepers and the crops that depend on them.
Additional Resources
Why Vaccinate Your Honey Bees for AFB?
This whitepaper speaks to how vaccination can be a promising alternative to protect honey bee colonies and the food supply chain.Transgenerational Immune Priming
This whitepaper is on the topic of: How insects pass immunity to their offspring.Product Brochure
Download our brochure to discover more about Dalan Animal Health’s AFB Vaccine, its benefits, and how it works.
