US Beekeepers Lost 39.9% of Colonies This Year, Down From Two Straight Years Above 55%
The latest national survey shows losses easing off record highs, but the industry says even the "better" number is nowhere near sustainable.
Amitraz-resistant mites and a virus they carry pushed commercial beekeepers into their hardest year since national tracking began in 2010.
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The latest national survey shows losses easing off record highs, but the industry says even the "better" number is nowhere near sustainable.
The 2025-26 U.S. Beekeeping Survey shows losses easing off two years of record die-offs, but 39.9% is still nearly triple what the industry can absorb long-term.
A Georgia Tech study finds that sulfoxaflor, sprayed on more than 200 million U.S. acres, alters gene expression in bumblebee ovaries at exposure levels regulators consider safe.