USDA Surveys Honey Bee Colony Health

Posted by Christina Herrick|January 2, 2016

USDA’S National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is seeking information from beekeepers and growers on the number and health of honey bee colonies, honey production and stocks, and the cost of pollination services for growers.

The surveys will be used to develop baseline data and additional goal metrics for winter, summer, and total annual colony loss in support of the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. Among its goals, the strategy aims to reduce honey bee colony losses during winter to no more than 15% within 10 years.

“These new data will be crucial to measuring and understanding the current state of the pollinator industry in the United States,” Joseph Reilly, NASS administrator said. “Honey beekeepers are encouraged to participate in the surveys so that policy makers have a robust data source to make informed decisions and protect our struggling pollinators.”

Pollinators are critical to the nation’s economy, food security, and environmental health. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $15 billion in value to agricultural crops each year. Last year, beekeepers reported losing about 40% of honey bee colonies, threatening the viability of their livelihoods and the essential pollination services their bees provide to agriculture.

Beekeepers should receive two surveys from NASS. They will receive the existing Bee and Honey Inquiry, which surveys beekeepers about honey production, price, and stocks, but not colony health. NASS will continue to conduct that survey, the results of which are slated for release in March, and which are archived at www.nass.usda.gov. Beekeepers will also receive a new survey from NASS, which the agency will use to publish state-level estimates on key topics, including number of colonies, colonies lost, colonies added, and colonies affected by certain stressors. The first results of these surveys will be published in May.