Honeybee Deaths Are Surging in ‘Alarming’ Numbers: ‘Something Real Bad is Going On’

A survey found that commercial beekeepers in the United States reported an average loss of 62% of their bee colonies

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Honeybee Deaths Are Surging in ‘Alarming’ Numbers: ‘Something Real Bad is Going On’
A survey found that commercial beekeepers in the United States reported an average loss of 62% of their bee colonies

By Raven Brunner Published on March 30, 2025 02:30PM EDT
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Close-up macro of a honey-bee collecting pollen from an Agapanthus flower
A honeybee collecting pollen (stock image). PHOTO: GETTY
Honeybees are dying in “alarming” numbers in the United States, according to a recent survey of hundreds of beekeepers.

The nonprofit Project Apis m., which supports the beekeeping community, found that commercial beekeepers in the U.S. reported an average loss of 62% of their colonies. Data for the survey was collected from 702 beekeepers who accounted for roughly 1.8 million bee colonies, which the organization notes represents about 68% of the country’s bee population.

Scott McArt, an associate professor of entomology at Cornell University, recently expressed his concerns for the bee population in an interview with The Guardian, “Something real bad is going on this year,” he said.

Bees on a flower (stock image). GETTY
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McArt also shared that bee loss has been “getting worse.”

“Some places are having devastating losses and there was a shortfall in pollination in some almond orchards this year,” the associate professor said. “Whether these impacts will cascade to other crops remains to be seen, it’s certainly possible.”

Earlier this month, Washington State University entomologists reported that commercial honeybee colony losses could reach up to 70% in the U.S. in 2025. The number is an increase of about 20% from previous years.

Priya Chakrabarti Basu, assistant professor of pollinator health and apiculture at WSU, suggested that the colony losses can be due to a variety of factors, including nutrition deficiencies, infestations, disease and pesticide exposure.

Bees on honeycombs (stock image). GETTY
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