Nearly half of US honeybee colonies died in 2022

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Jun 2023 13:12

Beekeepers lose almost half of their managed colonies, with a 48% loss in 2022.

A colony of bees is visible at a hive in the backyard of University of Maryland bee researcher Nathalie Steinhauer, Wednesday, June 21, 2023, in College Park, Md. (AP)

America's honeybee hives have the second-highest mortality rate on record, with beekeepers losing over half of their managed colonies, an annual bee survey revealed.

Beekeepers are, nevertheless, managing to survive by using labor-intensive and expensive procedures to establish new colonies. According to a poll released on Thursday by the Universities of Maryland and Auburn, the number of honeybee colonies in the United States "relatively stabilized" despite the loss of 48% of colonies in the year that ended on April 1.

More than 100 of the food crops we eat, including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus, and melons, are pollinated by honeybees, which are essential to the food supply. According to scientists, a mix of parasites, pesticides, malnutrition, and climate change continues to cause significant die-offs.

Last year's yearly loss of 48% was higher than the loss of 39% the year before and the 12-year average of 39.6%, but it is still lower than the death rate of 50.8% predicted for 2020-2021, according to the survey funded and administered by the nonprofit research group Bee Informed Partnership. More than three-fifths of the beekeepers polled stated their losses were more than that, despite beekeepers' assurances to the surveying scientists that a 21% loss during the winter is acceptable.

“This is a very troubling loss number when we barely manage sufficient colonies to meet pollination demands in the U.S.,” said former government bee scientist Jeff Pettis, president of the global beekeeper association Apimondia that wasn’t part of the study. “It also highlights the hard work that beekeepers must do to rebuild their colony numbers each year.”

The overall bee colony population is comparatively steady because commercial beekeepers split and restock their hives, finding or buying new queens, or even starter packs for colonies, said University of Maryland bee researcher Nathalie Steinhauer, the survey’s lead author.

He further added that the process is expensive and time-consuming. “The situation is not really getting worse, but it’s also not really getting better,” Steinhauer said. “It is not a bee apocalypse,” he concluded.