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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Bee Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #406602
Title: Case Report: Emerging losses of managed honey bee colonies

Author
item LAMAS, ZACHARY - Orise Fellow
item Chen, Yanping - Judy
item Evans, Jay

Submitted to: Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/10/2024
Publication Date: 2/13/2024
Citation: Lamas, Z., Chen, Y., Evans, J.D. 2024. Case Report: Emerging losses of managed honey bee colonies. Biology. 13(2). Article e13020117. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13020117.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13020117

Interpretive Summary: Apis mellifera is a managed pollinator that experiences cycles of extreme losses on the population level, resulting in economic damage to beekeepers and the farmers dependent on bee pollination. Following reports of high colony losses in Florida in January, 2023, we carried out collections and field interviews with commercial beekeepers representing the US queen breeding and pollination industries. Bees losses were catastrophic for some beekeepers, with several hundred thousand dollars in lost pollination contracts. This report is a case study showing the analyses in progress, including viral and mite levels. Additional samples are under scrutiny for pesticide residues. The goal of this work is to predict and prevent losses for commercial beekeepers.

Technical Abstract: United States commercial beekeepers prepare honey bee colonies for almond pollination in California each year in late January to early February. This represents the largest managed pollination event in the world and involves more than half of all U.S. honey bee colonies. In winter 2023, numerous colonies in Florida which were graded as suitable for almonds (larger than ten frames of bees) dwindled suddenly or altogether died within several weeks, just prior to movement for almonds. The timing of these losses and morbidity caused severe economic harm to affected operations. This study reports interviews with affected stakeholders, their economic harm, and analyses of pathogens and parasites found in their colonies.