‘Catastrophic' Honeybee Deaths In The U.S. Could Mean Higher Prices At The Grocery Store
Commercial beekeepers across the United States are sounding the alarm, detailing what's being called a 'catastrophic' loss of honeybees in less than a year. Between June 2024 and March 2025 beekeepers lost 62% of their honeybees, an estimated 1.6 million colonies, according to a survey conducted by Project Apis m., a non-profit organization that supports beekeepers and beekeeping science.
'Beekeeping businesses are facing unprecedented challenges that threaten their survival from colony losses we haven't seen in nearly 20 years,' said Patty Sundberg, President of the American Beekeeping Federation.
The honeybee deaths add up to an estimated $600 million in lost honey production. And while beekeepers are accustomed to losing some of their bees every year, many businesses may not be able to recover from this season's devastating losses.
(MORE: Cicadas In April? It Could Happen In These 13 States)
One beekeeper in the survey said, 'We borrowed from our house, from our retirement, from family. We borrowed to keep the business going. Now those bees are gone. This is what it means to have back to back losses on a farm. We took a large loss two years ago. We borrowed against our long-term investments to buy back into bees. We ran our bees again. We focused on their health. We asked for help. We did what we were supposed to do. But when the losses hit again, there is no way to recover. It's all gone. The equity on the house is gone, our retirement is gone, the family member's money is gone. All that's left are empty boxes. We don't even have the dead bees. They are gone too.'
But this doesn't just impact bee farmers or your favorite honey at the supermarket. Project Apis m. says honeybees pollinate 75% of crops, including almonds, apples, blueberries, melons and pumpkins, so the honeybee shortage could lead to produce shortages and higher prices at grocery stores.
Scientists are not sure what's to blame for the large-scale and 'unexpected' deaths. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture are investigating potential pathogens, parasites, and nutritional problems. Cornell University is also looking into environmental factors including how extreme weather and climate change may impact colony health.
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