Honeybees Still Face Devastating Colony Collapses as Bees Die, USDA Reports

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual survey still reported significant losses among honey bee colonies, with nearly 25% dying this past winter. Although the losses are lower than in recent years, beekeepers are still concerned.

Over 75% of the world's flowering plants rely on pollinators to reproduce, and honey bees are an essential aspect of pollination worldwide. Beekeepers assert that the threshold for bee colony losses per year is 18.9%, and the winter of 2013-2014 featured losses of 23.2%. Fortunately, the loss percentages are on the decline.

Over the last eight years, the average percentage of bee colony losses has been 29.6%, with the winter of 2012-2013 featuring a loss of 30.5%. Although the losses are still large, this is a substantial improvement and beekeepers hope losses continue to decline. The longer and colder winters have affected the bees' nourishment, as their high-energy needs demand pollen and nectar.

Their contribution to agriculture is irreplaceable. It's estimated that they account for over $14 billion of the United States' crop production, according to the American Beekeeping Federation. These insects allow the U.S. agricultural economy to save money and thrive at the same time, especially since some crops are dependent solely on honey bee pollination, including blueberries and cherries.

The USDA survey consisted of 7,200 beekeepers who reported their colony losses for this past winter. There's been three big factors killing the bees in recent years: mites that eat away at plants that bees need for nutrients, habitat loss due to monocultural system of agriculture, and pesticides (a newer class made by the DOW chemical company is accused of killing bees). More information can be found in this Bloomberg News video.

"Before a parasitic mite - just one of a handful of problems attacking the crucial-for-pollination honeybees - started killing bees in 1987, beekeepers would be embarrassed if they lost more than 5 or 10 percent of their colonies over the winter. Now they see a 23 percent loss as a bit of a break," said survey co-author Jeff Pettis, USDA's bee research chief, in this Washington Post article.

The issue has grabbed the attention of legislators, as they're trying to figure out a way to mitigate the causes of bee deaths and promote growth of their colonies and populations.