Why are honey bees collapsing?

By Marla Spivak, University of Minnesota Extension

Honey bee colonies in the U.S. are overworked and under-appreciated. They are the world’s most important pollinators of many fruits, vegetables and seed crops, contributing billions of dollars in value to agriculture and our diet.

Bees also pollinate wildflowers in our natural ecosystems and much of what we plant in our home gardens. Without honey bees and other bee pollinators, the produce section in our grocery stores would have about one-third fewer fruits and vegetables, and many flowers would not set seed.

Honey bees in the U.S. are maintained by beekeepers, who keep them as a hobby, as a side-line profession, or commercially as a livelihood. All beekeepers harvest honey from their colonies. Some harvest other products such as beeswax, pollen, royal jelly, and propolis, which are used to make candles and cosmetics, or serve as nutritional supplements and medicine.

Beekeepers keep their colonies of bees in cities, suburbs and the countryside. Some maintain their colonies in one location year-round, and some transport their colonies long distances to follow the blooming plants for honey and to provide pollination service to crops. Some beekeepers propagate “nursery” stock — more bee colonies and queen bees — for sale around the country.

Unfortunately, honey bees are subject to diseases and parasitic mites. The mites were inadvertently introduced into the U.S. in the 1980s. These maladies weaken colonies and can lead to the collapse and death of colonies. Control has become increasingly difficult because the diseases and mites have developed resistance to some of the treatments.

New treatments are currently available that reduce the risk of the pests developing resistance. Fortunately, colonies that die from diseases and mite parasites can be replaced with nursery stock. But overall, the number of bee colonies and beekeepers in the U.S.