Honeybees Are Dying At An Alarming Rate As Beekeepers Experience "Worst Bee Loss In Recorded History"

Honeybees Are Dying At An Alarming Rate As Beekeepers Experience "Worst Bee Loss In Recorded History"

Honeybees are dying at an alarming rate, and beekeepers are experiencing the "worst bee loss in recorded history." Over the past eight months, "hundreds of millions of bees" have died of unknown causes.



Beekeepers around the nation once believed that the bee crisis of 2007 was the worst the US had ever seen. During that time, the die-off of millions of bees was attributed to Colony Collapse Disorder.

It was discovered that Colony Collapse Disorder was not just a US issue at that time. It was a global event. Some countries changed their pesticide practices, which significantly boosted their populations and decreased the die-off during the winter.

Unfortunately, the US is not one of those countries. The nation is still experiencing a massive honeybee die-off, which has been devastating for the last eight months.

According to beekeeper Blake Shook, the loss of tens of thousands of bees is nothing like what he has ever experienced in his years of beekeeping.


"The data is showing us this is the worst bee loss in recorded history." - Blake Shook




"Something real bad is going on this year." - Scott McArt

"Some places are having devastating losses and there was a shortfall in pollination in some almond orchards this year," McArt explained. "Whether these impacts will cascade to other crops remains to be seen, it’s certainly possible."



Many may not realize that bees pollinate 75% of the food produced in the US, according to CBS News. That equates to "$15 billion worth of crops." According to Shook, losses of honeybees of this magnitude cannot be sustained much longer.

"If this is a multi-year thing, it'll change the way we consume food in the United States," Shook stated. "If we lose 80% of our bees every year, the industry cannot survive, which means we cannot pollinate at the scale that we need to produce food in the United States."

Therefore, to stop bees from dying en masse, researchers need to get out in the field and find out what is going on. But that may be easier said than done with budget cuts in the government department responsible for this task

Honeybee populations are dying off in the millions. Each year since 2005, the rates at which honeybees have perished have continued to increase. The norm was once 10% to 20% loss of hives annually, but according to a survey conducted by Project Apis m., that number has now jumped to 60%.

Most beekeepers cannot sustain losses of this magnitude, regardless of how large their bee colonies or how many colonies they have. By 2025, there will be an average 70% loss of bees in hives each year.

The problem is that there are no answers as to why the bees are dying. There are theories about pesticides, poor nutrition, viruses, and mites. While some of these have proven to be the reason in the past, it is unknown if any of these factors are playing a large role currently.

Given that some bee farmers have been moving their hives to warmer climates during the winter, cold weather could possibly play a role. But to date, not only has not been a study to conclusively show that weather is solely responsible for the deaths, but those hives moved to warmer climates are suffering as well.

To make matters worse, there may not be any answers to the bee mystery deaths. This has to do with budget cuts brought on by the current administration that have downsized departments in many government organizations.

The USDA is specifically responsible for tackling matters related to the "colony loss crisis." Employees from the USDA tasked with going to hives around the country and checking on bee health are among those who lost their jobs. Therefore, not enough employees are left to do this job appropriately.

Until there are clear answers as to why bees are dying at alarming rates, they will continue to die. If this happens, the food industry, as people know it, will change. Once abundant food will no longer be. The perfect fruits that require pollination will no longer be perfect. Prices will increase, and the varieties of foods will decrease. This is why the honeybees need help now, so that they can survive, and food scarcity will not become a reality worldwide.

Currently, 700 of the US bee populations are declining, including honeybees. Consequently, all native bees need some help to survive.

On a larger scale, corporations growing massive crops can stop spraying with neonicotinoids. This pesticide causes neurological problems with honeybees, eventually leading to their deaths. While this does keep insects from eating plants, it also stops the insects that need to pollinate and make the plants healthy.

For those who want to help on a more local level, some things that can be done to save honeybees include:

• Growing flowers specifically for pollinators
• Do not use chemicals on plants or weeds
• Only completely clear a yard in the spring versus the fall, as bees will use the ground cover to survive the winter
• Plant trees that provide thousands of flowers for pollinators every year to decrease food deserts
• Purchase local honey to keep small beekeepers in business