Bay Area Beekeepers Respond to This Year’s Decrease in Honeybee Populations

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Scientists are sounding alarm bells regarding the honeybee population as predictions for 2025 indicate significant declines, despite a record high three years ago.

Washington State University’s study attributes the expected population drop to a mix of nutritional deficiencies, mite infestations, and viral diseases, with predictions citing a frightening 60-70% loss in honeybee colonies.

Regionally, the bee population has endured a series of setbacks, particularly from last year’s storms and an unusually dry spring.

Allison Davis and her husband, Matthew, established Noble Nectar in 2016, sharing their passion for beekeeping. “It’s amazing. I wouldn’t want to do anything else. We get to work outside, we get to work with nature. It’s kind of calming,” Allison expressed.

However, the aftermath of last year’s hurricanes severely impacted their business, flooding half of their bee hives and causing the death of all the bees within them.

Allison describes their path to recovery as challenging. “Hurricanes come through, they wipe out all the resources, like food supply for the bees. It changes a lot. So it takes a while to build back up,” she explained.

The losses continued into the current year, with Allison reporting more bee deaths than ever before. “I think for us, it’s mostly been changes in the overall weather patterns and the seasons this year. We had a really dry spring,” she noted.

Typically, the losses for their business over the last decade ranged between 40 to 50%, according to the WSU study, but this year’s circumstances seem graver, particularly due to the threat posed by mites.

“There are two new viruses that mites, which are a pest that invades hives, carry. These viruses end up infecting the hives, essentially killing them off,” she warned, expressing concerns about potential mite infestations despite their hives being currently unaffected.

“It’s not something that we’re immune to, that’s for sure. I know that a lot of the big commercial beekeepers are finding that it’s more of a problem for them at this point,” she added.

Noble Nectar also handles bee removal jobs, but co-owner Matthew Davis mentioned that this aspect of their business has slipped this year. “I feel like this year the amount of those calls has really declined,” he remarked, linking the decline to the hurricanes and significant winter losses from starvation.

For the time being, Allison states they must remain vigilant in monitoring their hives for emerging issues. “If there’s a decline in bees, that also means there’s going to be a decline in food production, because honeybees pollinate about 80% of the world’s crops,” she emphasized.

Both Allison and Matthew appreciate the vital role of honeybees and remain committed to improving their population’s chances of thriving.