[Pollinator] Fwd: Severe and Sudden Losses of Managed Honey Bees Across the Nation

Mon Feb 10 12:54:52 PST 2025

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From: Honey Bee Health Coalition <hbhc at keystone.org>
Date: Thu, Feb 6, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Subject: Severe and Sudden Losses of Managed Honey Bees Across the Nation
To: <kr at pollinator.org>

Commercial beekeepers are discovering alarming colony losses.
View this email in your browser
<https://mailchi.mp/keystone.org/colonylosses?e=eb830d7484>

February 6, 2025
------------------------------
Severe and Sudden Losses of Managed Honey Bees Across the Nation

As commercial beekeepers in the USA inspect their bees after winter, to
transport over 90% of the nation’s managed honey bees to pollinate
California almonds, they are discovering alarming colony losses. These
losses are severe, broad, and may impact food security through inadequate
pollination services. *Survey results are still accumulating, but
information gathered from 234 beekeepers found average recent losses well
over 50%, with a combined financial loss of over $139M. Combined with
losses during other times of year, this additional loss puts many
beekeepers at a loss rate of 70%-100% over the past 12 months.*

The symptoms of loss are reminiscent of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
conditions which occurred in 2007 -2008 when bees suddenly disappeared from
their colonies. During recent inspections by field scientists, deceased
colonies often died with ample honey stores, leaving small patches of
brood, with most or all the adult bees missing. Another symptom has been
the rapid dwindling of surviving colonies, often within ten days of passing
health inspections.

Similar severe losses were seen two years ago, when beekeepers in Florida
lost up to 90% of their colonies, incurring $4.28 million in lost revenue.
At that time, these beekeepers worked alongside the USDA-ARS Bee Research
Laboratory in Beltsville, MD to sample and identify parasites, pathogens
and pesticides involved in the crashes. Chemical exposures were also
analyzed, recently presented and are awaiting publication. The eTort to
sample, analyze pathogens, and calculate economic impacts are well
documented here: https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13020117
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.

In January 2025, beekeepers again discovered sudden losses. In response,
surveys were shared to determine the extent of the problem and samples were
collected. This effort garnered the participation of many beekeepers, and
mobilized a multi-organization working group.

*Gathering Information*
A collaborative eTort between Project Apis m., American Beekeeping
Federation, American Honey Producers Association, apiculture extension
programs and beekeepers such as Bret Adee allowed for the rapid collection
of real time information to determine if these losses were regional or
widespread. Surveys and interviews quickly determined these losses are
nationwide and severe. The cause has not yet been identified, however the
usual causes of loss, including winter management and high levels of
parasitic mites, are not currently indicated causes of these losses.

*Gathering Samples*
The Bee Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS Beltsville, MD, collected samples
from commercial operations’ surviving colonies and from remnants of dead
colonies. Priority was placed on collection of material that could identify
the causes of such severe losses. A wide screening for pathogens and
pesticides was conducted in California. Beekeepers provided access to
colonies and providing detailed management history of their operations.
Field scientists at the USDA-ARS collected dying bees, sampled dwindled
colonies, wax and stored pollen from surviving and dead colonies. Thanks to
this swift collaborative effort, a comprehensive analysis of pathogen,
parasite and chemical residues will be performed. In addition to the
disease and pesticide analyses from Beltsville, USDA-ARS, laboratories in
Tucson, Baton Rouge, Davis, Stoneville, and Logan will apply their
expertise analyzing field data, weather patterns, and chemical risks as
factors in these sever losses. Samples will be analyzed for:

   - Known Virus levels in dying and surviving bees
   - Parasitic Varroa mite genes of resistance to Amitraz treatment (with
   assistance from the USDA ARS Baton Rouge Bee Lab)
   - Pesticide residues in adult bees, wax and pollen
   - Genetic screening for novel viruses and metagenomic analyses of
   composition of microbial communities

*Next steps*
Samples are being analyzed, and additional information will be shared as it
becomes available through social media and updates from the organizations
listed below, including:

   - A free public webinar will be offered by scientists who collected and
   analyzed samples in early March through Project Apis m.
   www.ProjectApism.org
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   .
   - Beekeepers involved will receive updates directly.
   - Findings that will directly impact beekeeper management, such as
   amitraz resistance in Varroa samples and clear pathogen signals, will be
   shared broadly and promptly through public announcements and beekeeping
   organizations.
   - Pesticide residue analysis and RNAseq will be shared through peer
   review publications.

Beekeepers are encouraged to share their information in the survey before
Feb 10 https://forms.office.com/r/YKNpRBGkir
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Beekeepers experiencing losses are encouraged to submit ELAP claims right
away:
https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/emergency-assistance-livestock-honeybees-farm-raised-fish-elap
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For more information, contact: Dr. Zac Lamas (ORISE Fellow- Beltsville and
Field Sampling Coordinator) Zaclamascontact at gmail.com (603) 748-5334
Information provided by:

Project Apis m.
American Beekeeping Federation
American Honey Producers Association
Adee Honey Farms
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-- 

Kelly Bills *(she/her)*

Executive Director

Pollinator Partnership

*kelly at pollinator.org <kelly at pollinator.org>* | 585.255.0962

San Francisco, California

hq: 582 Market Street, Suite 1215, San Francisco, CA 94104

pollinator.org | 415.362.1137

*I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded ancestral
homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples who are the original inhabitants
of the San Francisco Peninsula.*
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