Beeeeeeees!

Last week, the University of Maryland and Auburn University released their annual bee population survey.  They found that America's honeybee hives have recorded the second highest death rate on record, with a 48% loss of honeybee colonies.  Beekeepers reported to the scientists that a 21% loss over the winter is an acceptable number, which is much lower than the 12-year average of 39.6% loss.  Dr. Jeffery Pettis, president of the global beekeeper association Apimondia, commented on the results: "This is a very troubling loss number when we barely manage sufficient colonies to meet pollination demands in the U.S.  It also highlights the hard work that beekeepers must do to rebuild their colony numbers each year."

Honeybees are vital to the nation's food supply; they pollinate more than 100 different crops that we eat, including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus, and melons.  One-third of all food grown in the United States relies on bees for pollination, producing an estimated $18 billion to $20 billion in crops annually.

Scientists report that a combination of parasites, pesticides, and climate change are causing the large yearly die-offs.  For example, in the Washington, D.C. area, unusual 80-degree warmth in January brought some bees out of their normal winter routine and then when it turned cool again, they had problems, said US Department of Agriculture (USDA) research entomologist Dr. Jay Evans.  Pesticides also make things worse because it makes bees more vulnerable to disease and less likely to seek food.  Another problem is landscapes that have only one crop or homogenous landscapes, which deprive bees of food. 

Dr. Joerg Mayer, Professor of Zoological Medicine at the University of Georgia and a certified beekeeper, discussed the bacterial disease American Foulbrood.  It has no cure and is so concerning to bee populations that the government requires infected hives to be burned and buried.  Dr. Annette Kleiser, CEO of Dalan Animal Health, has partnered with the University of Georgia to develop a vaccine for honeybees against this American Foulbrood disease.  Insects don't create antibodies, so it had previously been thought that they would not benefit from a vaccine.  But recent research in the lab showed that bees have a very primitive immune system.  Through rigorous testing, researchers found that exposing a queen bee to some dead bacteria through her food allowed immunity to spread throughout the colony.

The overall bee population has remained relatively steady because commercial beekeepers split and restock their hives, find new queens, or even buy "starter packs" for colonies.  These measures are often quite costly and time-consuming for the beekeepers.  Dr. Nathalie Steinhauer, a research coordinator at Bee Informed Partnership, noted that while this is not a new problem, the prognosis is not as bad as it was 15 years ago because beekeepers have better learned how to rebound from big colony losses.

In order to help encourage pollinator populations, the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) funds research through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Program to promote pollinator health and to address challenges affecting pollinators.  In 2019, NIFA awarded approximately $4 million in competitive grants for pollinator health-related projects.  Results from these projects and others will help preserve pollinator populations and promote continued improvement in crop yields and the environment.

Since a large part of the decline in honeybee population is caused by human actions, it can be reversed by humans too.  Some things that you can do to help encourage the bee population are provide a honey bee-friendly habitat in your yard, eat bee-friendly foods, and avoid using insecticides on your lawn.