honey bee population decline statistics

In 2021, there were approximately 2.7 million honey bee . Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. It provides them with nourishment. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Many people dont think about the little buzzers in their backyards. However, by 2015, that number had dropped to just 2.74 million. Technically, humans can survive without beesthere are other ways to pollinate crops aside from bees. However, don't leave sugar water outside of your home, hoping to save the bees as this has a long-term adverse effect on the bee colony.\n\nFor the bee population decline effects to take a positive turn, do your part by planting nectar-rich plants to help your local bees. This national survey keeps track of the annual losses to understand how widespread the problem is. The most recent major round of bee losses happened in 2006. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. It will reduce our choice of vegetables and fruits to half. . These malnourished bees are more susceptible to chemical pesticides, parasites, and pathogens, as their immune systems aren't as strong. The new data comes from a paper published in the journal The Royal Society on Wednesday, July 29. These declines were attributed in part to a phenomena referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), an abnormal condition that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a honey bee colony disappears, leaving behind a queen, an abundant supply of food, and a few nurse bees to care for remaining immature bees. But, Nevada is the leader. China is the leading importer covering 40% of all the EUs honey imports, while Ukraine covers 20%. . Commercial enterprises run most bee-breeding programs. Its expected that the use of this new technology will double soon, meaning that over 20 million honey bees will be monitored worldwide. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"There are several reasons, both known and unknown, leading to such drastic bee deaths. By January 1st, 2019, operations with five or more colonies counted 2.67 million colonies total in the US. Meanwhile Jennifer Sass of the Natural . Globally, pollinators are in decline. Wild bees and other pollinators take care of the rest. There's a 2.96 million decline in honey bee colonies over the years in the US. For the "winter" period of October 1, 2020 through April 1, 2021, approximately 32% of managed bee colonies in the U.S. were lost. The largest contributor to the decline of bee health is the varroa mite, a parasite that invades hives and and spreads diseases, McArt said. The remaining top five states in bee losses were Louisiana with a 32.8% loss, Iowa with a 61.8% loss, Illinois with a 54.6% loss, and Delaware with a 46.8% loss. "You Asked: Are the Honeybees Still Disappearing?" The states that experienced the lowest portion of losses were Indiana and South Carolina, with an 11.8% loss, and Nebraska, with a 13.6% loss. , Mar 25, 2022. In the 1940s, there were about 5.7 million managed bee colonies in the US, which dropped dramatically to 2.74 million in 2015. Thank you for signing up for Planet Bees Un-BEE-lievable Newsletter! The widespread use of various pesticides is one of the biggest culprits in the dramatic decline of wild and managed bees. Bee statistics from 2020 also show that Montana, too, is one of the leading honey-producing states. Regardless, wild pollinators have proven to be twice as effective as managed honey bees in producing fruit and seeds for crops. Information including number of honey producing colonies, yield per colony, and total production were collected and published separately and does not alter the honey data series. Beginning in 2006, experts noted significant yearly declines in honey bee colonies. "Nation's Beekeepers Lost 44% of Managed Hives in 2015-16." Beginning in January 2013, bee populations in the control colonies began to increase as expected, but populations in the neonicotinoid-treated hives continued to decline. Sadly, Indias Apis dorsata numbers have dropped by 20 percent in just 10 years. Have a specific question for one of our subject experts? "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How can I help the bees? "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What foods would be gone without bees? There is no real evidence that honey bees rely on the electromagnetic field to navigate, and many apiaries that are still experiencing losses are in rural areas where cell phone service is spotty or absent. Not only that, but 5% of Europe's bee species are near threatened. Two of the most well known diseases to infect bees are American Foulbrood and Deformed Wing Virus. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. By focusing efforts on pollinator health, the U.S. today has about 2.8 million honey bee hives, and no incidents of CCD have been reported in several years. Honey bee decline statistics. Source: iStock. Those countries report honey bee losses of about 30-50 % every year13https://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/full_html/2010/03/m09133/m09133.html. Other ways require a bit more effort. Have a BEE-utiful day! We can see that beekeeping has had a positive impact . The decline continues at a slower pace until it bottoms out . One of the organization's longest running programs, the national Colony Loss and Management Survey, was initiated with the support of the Apiary . In the current chemical-intensive agriculture system, scientists are increasingly convinced that some insecticides are cause for negative effects on the health of pollinators. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Other losses will include beans and nuts. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS But the cost for renting bees for almond production has increased to nearly $300 per colony in some cases, Williams said, when contracts for other crops in other states run about $80 to $150 per colony, McArt said. Some crops even pollinate by the wind. Thank you for contacting Planet Bee Foundation! Utah beekeepers may not have the most many bee colonies, but they have undoubtedly suffered the most significant loss. According to Dr Veenstra, one of the main reasons for the decline is the varroa mite (a parasite that attacks honey bees). Food prices could rise if the number of bees pollinating crops keeps dwindling. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What chemicals kill honey bees? Bees are responsible for most of the food we eat. 12 May, 2016. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2016/05/0114.xml, Wright, Matthew. In the US, 2.96 million honeybee colonies have died since the 1940s. Its time each and every one of us does whatever we can to improve their numbers. If all the bees died, we'd die, too. We are losing huge numbers of honey bees in the recent years and all over the world. The most common reason is the, bees losing a lot of their habitat because of farming and urbanization, Get a beehive and become a hobby beekeeper, Create a watering hole for bees in your yard, Sign one of the many petitions supporting the bees. Bees are quite an amazing insect, they pollinate over 80% of all flowering plants including 70 of the top 100 human food crops. Several studies show that in the . In the USA during 2007-2014 a substantial percentage of winter colony losses (20,5-60%) seem to have as their cause the symptoms compatible with CCD9https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282211157_Colony_Collapse_Disorder_CCD_A_Review_of_the_Possible_Factors_and_Agents_Involved. Between April 2020 and April 2021 beekeepers lost 45.5% of their honey bee colonies. Special Tabulations and Restricted Microdata, 02/15/23 Still time to respond to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, USDA to follow up with producers who have not yet responded, 02/15/23 Still time to respond to the 2022 Puerto Rico Census of Agriculture, USDA to follow-up with producers who have not yet responded (Puerto Rico - English), 01/31/23 United States cattle inventory down 3%, 01/30/23 2022 Census of Agriculture due next week Feb. 6, 01/12/23 Corn and soybean production down in 2022, USDA reports Moreover, honey bee population data from 2019 reveals one more fact. We cant talk about bringing the numbers back up or bringing extinct bee species back. In the U.S., winter losses have commonly reached 30-50 percent, in some cases more. Want to receive reports automatically? It provides approximately 1.6 million tons of honey yearly. Its difficult to determine the exact number of bees in the world. With honeybees and bumblebees help to spread the fungicide Clonostachys Rosea CR-7 over multiple crops, researchers see positive results in reducing the fungicide spores on the plants the bees travel to. Some human farming practices are making it more challenging for the bees to forage a well-balanced diet, such as monoculture farming. Bumble bees (Bombus) are vitally important pollinators of wild plants and agricultural crops worldwide.Fragmentary observations, however, have suggested population declines in several North American species. In collapsed hives,no dead bees are found,puzzling scientists and posing a major challenge to the study of the disease. Beekeepers across the United States lost 45.5% of their managed honey bee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021, according to preliminary results of the 15th annual nationwide survey conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership. NASS conducts the Cost of Pollination Survey to help accurately depict the status of the pollination industry in the United States. This isone of the few cases where animal testing isnt frowned upon as it aids in improving the bee population. Im impressed by the details that you have on this site. If death rates are sustained higher than this threshold rapid population decline is predicted and colony failure is inevitable. This is primarily due to a wet and cold spring and summer that affected the prairies where most bees are located. Different charities offer crucial information, sources, and a means to join other concerned people. (FAO) Studies show that out of all the bee species' populations, 7.7% are declining, 12.6% are stable, and 0.7% are increasing; but for the majority (79%), this data remains unknown. About 60% of all managed colonies start a long cross-country trip in February. Once absorbed, CR-7 also blocks botrytis in strawberries, the most common disease impacting Californias fruit. 12 WAYS TO HELP FUND PLANET BEE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. Although managed honey bees are responsible for the global honey industry, wild bees are crucial for plant pollination worldwide. The chemicals in pesticides have been shown to alter their foraging behavior, their communication, and their larval development. Survey results and definitions of terms are in the current. One of the principal reasons for the decline of the bee population is neonicotinoids and their effects on bees. (Europa) Extinction rates for bees are 100 to 1,000 times higher than expected due to human . Here are the most important statistics about the current global bee situation. Bees and other pollinators are declining in abundance in many parts of the world . Honeybees are not in decline -- despite what the media might say. "Every single one of these stresses that we put on pollinators is man-made," he said. The overall loss rate is around the average of what researchers . Corn stocks down, soybean stocks down from year earlier But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. One of the most prominent bee decline effects would be the inevitable loss of honey. The survey now includes new questions on the basic economics of beekeeping beyond honey production. Some countries are less affected than others. Section 207(f)(2) of the E-Government Act of 2002 requires federal agencies to develop an inventory of information to be published on their Web sites, establish a schedule for publishing information, make those schedules available for public comment, and post the schedules and priorities on the Web site. Crop pollination is crucial for crop survival and, thus, feeding the world population. One in three bites of food that we eat is derived from plants pollinated by bees (Allen-Wardell et al, 1998). While in some countries the mortality rates improved significantly (Spain, Sweden, Finland, Germany) other countries rates worsened in this time span (France, Italy). Emily Erickson,graduate student of Entomology at Penn State helped research and write this post. Examples of past projects addressing pollinator health include: Honeybee Hive Monitoring System for Varroa Mite Management & Honey Bee Health; Using Vaccines to Increase Pollinator Health: Testing a Honey Bee Nosema Vaccine; and Quantifying the Intersections Between Neonicotinoid Insecticide Use for Seed Treatments and Foraging Honey Bees. According to USDA statistics, the number of managed honey bee colonies in the United States has increased in the last 10 yearshitting a 20-year high of 2.7 million colonies in 2014. What is still in question is the roots of the bee population problem. The fertilizers and pesticides used on crops, and even in your backyard, may kill other harmful pests, but theyre also killing bees. This represents an increase of 9.6% over the prior year's winter loss and is roughly 4% higher than the previous 14-year average rate of loss. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. In Asia and the Middle East, on the other hand, beekeeping has been growing majorly. These numbers reveal that more research on the bee population and its decline is urgent. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Share these sad statistics and inform as many people as possible to help end the current pattern of bee deaths and build a better future for them and us. To continue this upward trend in pollinator populations, NIFA funds research to promote pollinator health and to address challenges affecting pollinators essential to U.S. agricultural crops, primarily through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Program. There are over 20,000 bee species worldwide, and the majority are wild. Sunflower crops suffer from a fungus called sclerotia. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. We observed the first reports of colony collapse disorder. The. Apple pollination starts in the Northeast in June, and in late June or early July, they go to Maine to help with lowbush blueberries. Urbanization, the excessive use of pesticides, and simply overlooking their importance all impact these little buggers health. Many small mammals and birds could disappear. American Foulbrood affects larvae less than a day old, preventing them from surviving until adulthood, while Deformed Wing Virus is transmitted through Varroa mites and prevents the bees from being able to fly. There are many ways you can help the bee population increase. Planet Bee - Changing the World, One Bee and One Student at a Time! Not only that, but 5% of Europes bee species are near threatened. There are several reasons, both known and unknown, leading to such drastic bee deaths. They have focused on breeding honey bees that are tolerant to the virus transmitted by Varroa destructor. Bees bring pollen back to their hives for food - one pollen grain with trace chemicals wouldn't be an issue, but scientists have found that the chemicals accumulate to critical levels within the beeswax. In its bee-friendly capital, residents may plant only nectar-producing plants. Winter losses have been huge since then. Other parasites involved in collapsing hives include the small hive beetle,Aethina tumida; and Nosema spp., a microsporidian gut parasite. In 2013, the EU banned its use on any flowering crops that could attract bees. Fortunately, people have realized their mistakes and are taking measures to find and implement solutions. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Essentially yes. As his love for his job grew, he finally decided to start a personal business, opening a veterinary supplies shop, which carried products from pet/animal care and medicine to food and toys. The dramatic decline in Honeybee populations. and habitat destruction are a few of the causes researchers associate with honey bee population decline. The cost of colony rentals has not yet affected consumer prices for almonds, Williams said, but those costs could "eventually trickle down.". Bee decline isnt something new. Think of it as if a human was limited to eating only strawberries for three months not very healthy! Pesticides also interfere with bee communication, which is almost entirely reliant on chemical and physical signals. 88% of the honey bees covering 26 field sites confirmed this finding. Four out of the five principal honey bee species live in India, reflecting a relatively healthy biodiversity. A further study conducted in Europe found that honey bee colonies declined 16% . The decline was similar for bumble bees and other types of wild bees, while the population of honey bees, which aren't native to the region and are managed in hives by farmers, remained stable . "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why are the bees dying? It was then reintroduced in 2006 when colony collapse disorder was first reported. Weakened immune systems leave hives susceptible to bacterial and viral diseases as well. The data includes colony inventory by state and the U.S. total, newly added or replaced colonies, number of colonies lost and renovated, and presence of colony stressors and specific signs of illness. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The analyses of the small wild bee community (57% of all wild bees sampled) showed a decline in richness . Scientists are continuing to research the effects different types of pesticides and application methods are having on the health of the bees. Meanwhile, China is the leading producer of honey worldwide. Experts say a normal loss of colony bees is about 15%, but recent numbers are showing a staggering amount. honeybee populations experienced sporadic disappearances over the last century, before hitting a 20-year high in 2015 . These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Bees have been endangered for decades now, and the chart above depicts just how much the number of bee hives in the Unites States has declined since the mid 1900s. Thank you for sharing superb informations. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Right behind are California with over 13,000 and South Dakota with close to 12,000. NASS has three surveys and reports in the bee and honey program: The Honey report is an annual report of number of colonies producing honey, yield per colony, honey production, average price and value, and honey stocks. The Bee Informed Partnership and the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service also file reports that are widely used in the industry, he added. Current scientific research indicates that parasites, and the diseases they carry, are the main threat to the lives of honey bees. The country has over 10,000 beekeepers for its relatively small population of just over 2 million. Besides about 20,000 species of bees, other pollinators include some species of vertebrates, bats, birds, beetles, wasps, moths, butterflies, and flies. Heid, Markham. Despite rising concern over these observations in the United States, highlighted in a recent National Academy of Sciences report, a national assessment of the geographic scope and possible . Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The day focuses on promoting actions by individuals, society, organizations, and governments for improving the diversity and abundance of their habitatsall while showing support for beekeeping. Remember, you will need your unique survey code to sign in. Headlines of honey bee colony losses have given an impression of large-scale global decline of the bee population that endangers beekeeping 1,2 and that the world is on the verge of mass starvation. Then a couple of years back, after a casual read about farm animals on the internet (yea, he does that), he realized that many of the articles are either false or misleading. In 2008, U.S. honey bee colonies totaled 2.3 million, the lowest on record. Click here to complete your survey online. Today, pollinators -- especially Western honey bee populations -- are at a critical crossroads. While the honey bee population statistics are frightening, in fact, 9.2% of all bee species in Europe are near extinction. Decline of honeybees. Dont let the current bee statistics determine their (and our) future. Recently, there has been a dangerous decline in their population. For the study, the researchers reviewed how declining pollinator populations are affecting seven different crops at 131 commercial farms across the U.S. and part of Canada. They pollinate most of the crops we eat, so we'd have almost no food without them.\n\nThis would inevitably lead to higher fruit and vegetable prices and, ultimately, the human species' utter demise. . 1). [10] Bees play a massive role in pollinating the plants that we eat. 2.96 million decline in honey bee colonies, lost an average of 40% of their honey bee colonies, most significant contributors to pollination for plants and crops, Top 10 Most Crucial Bee Statistics and Facts to Know, General Bee Population Statistics and Facts, Solutions to the Declining Bee Populations. Up to now, estimates of honey bee population decline have not included losses occurring during the wintering period, thus underestimating actual colony mortality. Bee statistics for Australia show thedevastating effects of bushfires and drought. In 2019, NIFA awarded approximately $4 million in competitive grants for pollinator health-related projects. Then the varroa mite arrived, and by 1993 that number had diminished to 2.5 million.'. The Huffington Post. Over the past 15 years, bee colonies have been disappearing in what is known as the "colony collapse disorder," according to National Geographic. Losses reported in this category must meet all of four criteria of CCD: 1) Little to no build-up of dead bees in the hive or at the hive entrance, 2) Rapid loss of adult honey bee population despite the presence of queen, capped brood, 3) Absence or delayed robbing of the food reserves, and 4) Loss not attributable to varroa or nosema loads. The state produces over 14,000 pounds of honey a year. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In fact, the European Union isnt 100% self-sufficient in its honey (60%). A statistical overview of the decline of the Honey Bee population. Bee Informed Partnership. ApisProtect has designed technology that tracks the problems bees are experiencing and ensures their overall health. These chemicals are systemic, meaning the plant takes them into its vascular system, and spreads it to all tissues. The bee population decline in the US has been happening for a long time. Corn stocks down, soybean stocks down from year earlier On those continents, researchers monitor and report the losses of honey bees thoroughly12OPERA Bee health working group: Bee health in Europe- Facts and figures http://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/OPERAReport.pdf.We provide the following information about other parts of the world, such as South America, India, China and Africa: The only published data on colony losses in were reported in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. The meat will be scarce because most of the animals we eat highly depend on the plants that bees pollinate. For answers, we turn to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Honey Bee Colonies report is an annual report of honey bee colonies, lost colonies, added colonies, renovated colonies and colonies affected by stressors by State and U.S. Bee populations are in decline. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. These mites still pose the greatest risk for bee colonies, causing significant damage and high death rates throughout the year. But, there are already positive results from preserving the current numbers and preventing continued die-off. In Bavaria, Germany, the governor announced a new law guaranteeing that 20% of all farmland will be bee-friendly within six years. We first perform an analysis of steady state bee populations given mortality rates within each bee caste and find . The total annual value of U.S. honey bee products and services sold is approximately $700 million. Comment. Although effective in killing insects harmful to the crops, they are also deadly to bees. Click an option below to subscribe. It will reduce our choice of vegetables and fruits to half.\n\nOther animals will suffer too. Its honey production has more than doubled over the last 40 years. These chemicals harm bees and are proven to be part of the global problem with massive bee loss. Statistics report millions of bees have starved to death in New Zealand alone. Winter Wheat Seedings up for 2023, 12/13/22 NASS to publish milk production data in updated data dissemination format, 11/28/22 USDA-NASS Crop Progress report delayed until Nov. 29, 10/28/22 NASS reinstates Cost of Pollination survey, 09/06/22 NASS to review acreage information, 09/01/22 USDA NASS reschedules 2021 Conservation Practice Adoption Motivations data highlights release, 05/06/22 Respond Now to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 08/05/20 The NASS Mission: We do it for you, 04/11/19 2017 Census of Agriculture Highlight Series Farms and Land in Farms, 04/11/19 2017 Census of Agriculture Highlight Series Economics, 04/11/19 2017 Census of Agriculture Highlight Series Demographics, 02/08/23 Crop Production (February 2023), 01/31/23 Cattle & Sheep and Goats (January 2023), 12/23/22 Quarterly Hogs and Pigs (December 2022), 12/15/22 2021 Certified Organics (December 2022), Talking About NASS - A guide for partners and stakeholders, USDA and NASS Anti-Harassment Policy Statement, REE Reasonable Accommodations and Personal Assistance Services, Safeguarding America's Agricultural Statistics Report and Video, Agriculture Counts - The Founding and Evolution of the National Agricultural Statistics Service 1957-2007, Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time Monday - Friday, except federal holidays Toll-Free: (800) 727-9540, Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time Monday - Friday, except federal holidays Toll-Free: (833) One-USDA Experts blame environmental pressures like deforestation and forest fires. The line graph below shows how the number of bees has changed over the past 50 years, according to beehive numbers - not the number of individual bees. "Honey bees are one of the most important agricultural commodities in the country," Geoff Williams, an assistant professor of entomology at Auburn University who also serves on the board of directors for the Bee Informed Partnership, told ABC News. Honey bees around the globe are in trouble. The grocery chain store Giant is missing 60,000 bees from its headquarters in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. They begin in California for almond production, then go to Florida for the citrus crops. However, there are only few scientific resources about the loss of honey bees in South America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it has suspended data collection for its Honey Bee Colonies survey due to budgetary reasons, just weeks after researchers reported that nearly 40% of managed honey bee colonies in the country were lost over the past winter. We welcomed him to our team as our resident expert who goes through all of our content and either verifies it or makes us wipe it off the face of the earth.

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