Beekeeping losses in Texas could lead to higher produce prices

Many Texas beekeepers are experiencing losses in their bee colonies, which could affect the price of some seasonal produce this spring.

Honeybees play a critical role in both nature and agriculture. Every year, bees get sent from Texas across the country to pollinate crops like almond trees. However, due to record losses in 2024, local beekeeping expert Michelle Boerst with Alveole can see people locally and nationally taking a financial hit.

“If we don’t have enough bees to send if the beekeepers are finding that they have great losses in their yards, they don’t have time to grow enough colonies to send them this year, it’s over, it’s happening right now,” Boerst said.

Almonds are among a group of crops that require bee pollination to grow, and fewer bees could make popular crops more expensive. While almonds aren’t a local crop, local farms who produce watermelon, cucumbers and more could be next in the line of fire according to Boerst.

“Those may be smaller beekeepers that are doing those and if they don’t have bees either, then they’re not going to be able to put them in the fields to pollinate regional crops that we have,” Boerst said.

Despite the losses being so high for many major beekeepers in Texas, Boerst isn’t sure what could be causing them. In her experience, it could be anything from varroa mites to pesticides.

“Weather, environment, kind of beekeeper, pests, there’s a whole range of things that will knock a colony down,” Boerst said.

Even though larger beekeepers are taking the hits now, Boerst believes smaller operations could be next in line for hardship.

“It is going to trickle down,” Boerst said, “And whatever’s affecting the commercial bees and the beekeepers, it’s very likely to trickle down to us and cause us to lose, you know, a lot of hives as well.”

As bees continue to drop, our eyes are once again on the potentially rising produce price tag.