Severe hive losses spur urgent research into bee deaths

Severe hive losses spur urgent research into bee deaths

MORSE BLUFF, Neb. (KOLN) - When Dr. Brad Plantz, a beekeeper and owner of Country Road Bees in Morse Bluff, checked on his bees after winter, he found more dead than alive.

He said 72% of his colonies died, more than double what he would expect in a typical year.

Fewer bees, means less honey to sell.

“A mature bee colony, one that successfully overwintered, will produce, for me in this area, about 100-120 pounds of honey,” said Dr. Plantz.

Now, he will be lucky if his colonies produce 40-50 pounds.

To understand why so many bees died, he sent the deceased ones to Dr. Judy Wu-Smart, leader of the UNL Bee Lab.

The lab educates both new and experienced beekeepers and plays a pivotal role in researching honey bee deaths across the Midwest.

When Dr. Brad Plantz, a beekeeper and owner of Country Road Bees in Morse Bluff, checked on his bees after winter, he found more dead than alive.

Both Dr. Plantz and Dr. Wu-Smart liken honey bee research to the canary in the coal mine, offering insights into environmental health.

“The bees are really a Canary in the coal mine for our environment,” said Dr. Wu-Smart. “They really are telling us what the surrounding landscape and the quality of that landscape is like.”

Struggling bees, she explains, may indicate wider problems affecting other wild pollinators, such as chemical exposure, climate change, and habitat loss.

Dr. Plantz added, unfortunately, the funding for honey bee research is scarce.

“We have USDA researchers sampling in Florida, in some of the southern states, Texas, and in California as well; but really no resources up here in our region,” said Dr. Wu-Smart.

So she said the Bee Lab is doing it themselves and paying out of pocket to research the deaths in the Midwest.

“We’re collecting the samples to archive them so we don’t lose them, but we still need to build the resources and the funding to continue to monitor and process those losses,” she said.

Dr. Plantz emphasized that the impact of bee deaths extends beyond honey production.

“We send honey bees out to California to pollinate almonds. There was a shortage this year of 300,000 colonies to pollinate almond trees,” he said.

This shortage could lead to fewer almonds on the market and higher prices.

While it’s not a catastrophe yet, Dr. Plantz warns that if the issue isn’t addressed, the lack of pollination could affect a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and melons.

To help, Dr. Plantz suggests contacting your local congressperson to advocate for research funding, donating to the Bee Lab, and planting your own pollinator garden with native grasses and plants.

Dr. Plantz said it doesn’t have to be big. Even a small garden can help provide a home for wild pollinators.

Additionally, both experts urge minimizing the use of herbicides and pesticides due to their harmful effects on bees and other pollinators.

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