'This year has been devastating': Korea’s erratic weather decimates bee colonies

Extreme weather and climate fluctuations are causing a sharp drop in bee populations across Korea, raising alarm among beekeepers and threatening pollination-dependent crops.
 
“This year has been devastating — I’ve lost 70 percent of my bees,” said Kim Byung-cheol, head of the North Chungcheong chapter of the Korea Beekeeping Association, in a phone call with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, on Tuesday. Kim has been a beekeeper for nine years in Jecheon, North Chungcheong.

In November last year, Kim had completed winter preparations for his bees, gently closing up their hives with a parting wish: “Sleep well.”
 
But when he opened the hives this spring, less than half of the bees remained. Then came a late snowstorm in March and a cold snap in April. Now, less than 30 percent of the bees he had last year are still alive.
 
The situation is no better in Sokcho, Gangwon, where Park Jong-ho, head of the Korea Beekeeping Association’s Gangwon Chapter, has been in the business for 13 years.  
 
“Winter temperatures are harsh here, and bees that were overwintering just disappeared,” Park said. “I want to know why they left the hive when going outside means certain death. I’m a second-generation beekeeper, and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
 
Though official government statistics have yet to be released, regional beekeeping association leaders told the JoongAng Ilbo that beekeepers estimate losing around half of their bees this year.
 
In North Chungcheong alone, the average loss is thought to be around 70 percent per farm.
 

A beehive full of bees before hibernation is seen in October last year, left, and there are almost no bees left in the beehive in March, right. [KIM BYUNG-CHEOL]

 
Bees become active when temperatures rise above 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). But this past winter, temperatures in the central regions of Korea fluctuated wildly.
 
During unusually warm spells when temperatures rose above 15 degrees, bees mistook it for spring and flew out of the hives — only to die when temperatures dropped again. When real spring did arrive, the remaining bees were hit again by snow and cold weather.
 
This collapse of bee colonies has direct consequences for agriculture. Crops such as apples, pears, garlic, chili peppers, pumpkins and carrots depend on bees for pollination.  
 
Outdoor farms will see significantly lower yields, while greenhouse farms are forced to pay higher prices for bees. The cost of one hive, which was around 150,000 won ($105) in previous years, now exceeds 200,000 won.
 
“It’s still too early to assess the pollination impact for crops like apple trees that haven’t bloomed yet, but with this scale of bee deaths, harvests will certainly suffer,“ said Im Jeong-bin, professor of agricultural policy and trade at Seoul National University.
 
The decline of bee populations is not unique to Korea — it’s a global phenomenon. Experts point to climate change, overuse of neonicotinoid pesticides, parasitic mites, fungal infections like chalkbrood and viral diseases like deformed wing virus.
 

A bee farm in Jecheon, North Chungcheong [KIM BYUNG-CHEOL]

 
In Korea, wintertime bee disappearance and die-offs have persisted for years, and climate instability is increasingly cited as a major cause.
 
“Bees are very sensitive to temperature changes,” said Lee Seung-hwan, a professor of applied biology and chemistry at Seoul National University. “They are especially vulnerable to fluctuating temperatures, which stress the colony and lead to collapse.”
 
Bees are not only critical for pollination, they are also part of the broader food web.
 
“The disappearance of bees is not just about honey or poor harvests,” said Prof. Im. “It’s a serious threat to biodiversity itself.”