honey bee

Weak Honey Bee Colonies May Fail From Cold Exposure During Shipping

Dan Industry News Release, Research

Cold temperatures inside honey bee colonies may cause colony losses during and after long-distance hauling, according to a preliminary study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. Every year almost 2 million honey bee colonies—nearly two-thirds of the managed colonies in the United States—are loaded aboard semi-trailers and shipped across the country multiple times to pollinate crops like California almonds. But within days …

usda

USDA: Honey Bee Colony Number Steady

Dan Industry News Release, Pollinators

Elevated winter colony losses have not resulted in enduring declines in colony numbers, according to new data released by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Instead, the number of U.S. honey bee colonies is either stable or growing depending on the dataset being considered. USDA says at the state level, loss rates are uncorrelated with year-to-year changes in the number of …