🌅 A Million Lost Honey Bee Colonies

SOURCE

Project Apis m.

WHAT TO KNOW

• More than half (55%) of all managed honey bee colonies (which includes both commercial beekeepers and hobbyists) were lost this past winter in one of the largest honeybee die-offs in the past 25 years, far more than the 37% that were lost the year prior. Other data suggests commercial beekeepers alone could lose up to 70% of their colonies this year, outpacing annual losses over the past decade by around 40%.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Around 75% of the world’s flowers and 35% of all food crops rely on pollinators, including honey bees. Beekeepers affected by the die-offs could also lose an estimated $225 million, though the true economic impact could reach as high as $635 million when factoring in lost pollination revenue and colonies not counted in the report.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• Experts say the honey bee die-off could impact other pollinators and signal future ecological impacts, describing the bees as the “canary in the coal mine” for ecosystems. However, honey bees aren’t at risk of going extinct (since keepers can split colonies and keep populations stable despite die-offs), nor are they bearing the load themselves; there are more than 4,000 different bee species native to North America, nearly all of which are important pollinators with crucial ecological responsibilities.