• Commercial beekeepers, like David Bradshaw, have reported sudden, massive colony losses – a staggering 1.6 million hives in just one season – with 62% of hives lost nationwide
• Losses come nearly 20 years after the peak of another mysterious affliction that devastated bees: colony collapse disorder
Deformed wings and dead bees
David Bradshaw, a commercial beekeeper with 50 years of experience, has seen it all. His bees, which he keeps at his estate on the outskirts of Visalia, pollinate almonds, avocadoes, kiwis and olives. He also sells honey. But this past winter, something strange started happening at his bee boxes. “You’re expecting a lot of bee activity, bees flying in and out, collecting pollen, nectar—and there’s no activity, and as you open the box, there’s no bees,” he said. He found that some of his bees had deformed wings. Others were dead – or just gone. “Pretty soon, it was just overwhelming,” he said. “We just couldn’t keep up with the amount of dead hives coming in.”
Of the 1,800 hives he counted last fall, just 320 survived the winter.
“It’s like, what did I do wrong? I’m a very bad steward of my bees. You know, it really hurts,” he said.
These busy insects not only make honey, they also pollinate more than 100 fruits, vegetables and grains grown in the U.S., contributing to roughly $18 billion dollars in agricultural revenue each year. The loss of 1.6 million hives is the highest on record, with an average loss of 62% – a staggering number. This comes nearly 20 years after the peak of another mysterious affliction that devastated bees: colony collapse disorder.
- A study by Danielle Downey, the director of Project Apis m., published in February confirmed the survey results, showing that commercial beekeepers lost a staggering number of bees: 1.6 million hives – an average loss of 62% – in just one season.
- The survey was conducted by Project Apis m., a non-profit research organization.
- The organization also received enough responses to account for the majority of the country’s cultivated colonies.
The group quickly pulled together a survey of beekeepers and received enough responses to account for the majority of the country’s cultivated colonies. The results of the survey showed that commercial beekeepers lost a “staggering” number of bees: 1.6 million hives – an average loss of 62% – in just one season.
Danielle Downey says researchers just don’t know yet what caused the losses. Plus, “there’s resistance to the compounds that kill the mites, there’s always a concern about pesticide exposures.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is analyzing samples of bees, larvae, and honey, to try to figure out what happened. However, the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce have slowed this work down.
“The USDA scientists that we work with on these things who have been heroically showing up to help us in this crisis – they’re in their own crisis, watching their friends get fired and worried for their own jobs,” Downey said.
Project Apis m. estimates that beekeepers alone could lose more than $600 million. The organization also states that collectively, these economic and biological hurdles will likely make it impossible for beekeepers to rebuild, pollinate, and produce a honey crop this year, which could have continued impacts on beekeeping operations and our nation’s produce supply.
Even with so many honeybee losses, Reeder says he has scrounged together all the bees his clients have needed so far. But the experience has been grueling. “This year I was working at least 20 hours a day,” he said. “I was not able to come home at night. I stayed in my truck and I’d get a few hours of sleep and I’d keep going.”
Because most crops won’t be harvested for many more months, farmers and trade organizations say it’s too early to tell how these honeybee losses will affect agriculture.
| Country | Bee Losses |
|---|---|
| U.S. | 1.6 million hives lost, average loss of 62% |
| Europe | 500,000 hives lost |
| Other countries | Unknown |
**The Future of Beekeeping**
The long-term outlook remains unclear. However, the bee industry will likely be impacted by the loss of these millions of bees. The Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce have also raised concerns about the ability of scientists to work effectively on these issues. As the situation continues to unfold, the world waits anxiously to see what will happen next to the honeybees. Will they be able to recover? Can beekeepers rebuild their hives and pollinate crops once again? The future of the bee industry remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the losses of these millions of bees have left the industry in a state of crisis.
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