Beekeepers Lost a Staggering 42 Percent of Honeybee Colonies This Last Year

Beekeepers across the United States may have lost more than 40 percent of their honey bee colonies between April 2014 and April 2015. Although winter loss rates improved slightly from last year, this total loss is still staggering.

"We traditionally thought of winter losses as a more important indicator of health, because surviving the cold winter months is a crucial test for any bee colony," said Dennis vanEngelsdorp, one of the researchers, in a news release. "But we now know that summer loss rates are significant too. This is especially so for commercial beekeepers, who are now losing more colonies in the summertime compared to the winter. Years ago, this was unheard of."

In this latest report, the researchers relied on a survey, which asks both commercial and small-scale beekeepers to track the health and survival rates of their honey bee colonies. The survey is conducted every year by the Bee Informed Partnership in collaboration with the Apiary Inspectors of America.

Beekeepers who responded to the survey lost a total of 42.1 percent of their colonies over the course of the year. Winter loss rates, though, decreased from 23.7 percent last year to 23.1 percent this year. Summer loss rates increased from 19.8 percent to a staggering 27.4 percent.

"Backyard beekeepers were more prone to heavy mite infestations, but we believe that is because a majority of them are not taking appropriate steps to control mites," said vanEngelsdorp. "Commercial keepers were particularly prone to summer losses. But they typically take more aggressive action against varroa mites, so there must be other factors at play."

The findings reveal that bee populations are continuing to decline. Colony loss is a huge financial burden for beekeepers and can lead to shortages among crops that depend on bees as pollinators. In fact, estimates of total economic value of honeybee pollination services range between $10 billion and $15 billion annually.

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