New Report Highlights Urgent Need to Support Commercial Beekeeping and U.S. Food Production

TEMECULA, Calif. — The California State Beekeepers Association (CSBA) is issuing a call to action to combat record breaking bee deaths and loss of forage.

The February 2025 release of results from a nationwide survey of professional beekeepers by Project Apis m. documented the largest commercial beekeeper hive loss in recent history. Industry experts warn that these losses threaten the stability of the U.S. food supply—especially for pollination-dependent crops like almonds, fruits and vegetables that anchor California agriculture.

“Despite widespread awareness and conservation efforts, commercial beekeepers continue to lose up to half of their colonies every year,” says Ryan Burris, President of CSBA and a third-generation beekeeper from Palo Cedro. “There needs to be a stronger understanding—especially among policymakers and the public—of the value commercial honey bees bring to our food system.”

Recognizing this crisis, the CSBA is sharing a new White Paper on the state of commercial beekeeping in California. The White Paper developed by Dr. Elina L. Niño, Professor of Cooperative Extension in Apiculture at UC Davis, outlines the economic and ecological importance of managed honey bees and provides a framework for dialogue with legislators, regulators and local governments. It examines the full landscape of commercial beekeeping in California: the industry’s structure, pollination demands, regulatory pressures, key stressors, nutrition and forage needs, emerging technologies and the coexistence of managed and wild bees.

Burris states, “Commercial Beekeepers are in a constant state of crisis control to combat hive deaths, loss in forage and a US Honey Market that favors low priced foreign imports over domestically produced quality honey. CSBA’s goal is to highlight the highest-priority issues and promote solutions that sustain both beekeeping and agriculture.”

Among CSBA’s top recommendations:

• Improve honey bee nutrition through expanded forage access.
• Accelerate approval of new miticides to combat Varroa and other threats.
• Support U.S.-produced honey to maintain a viable domestic industry.

“These priorities—and many others raised in the White Paper—will be a focus of discussions at our annual conference this week,” Burris adds. “The CSBA conference brings together beekeepers, researchers, and policymakers to find real, workable solutions.”

An Executive Summary of the White Paper and additional information on CSBA’s recommended actions are available here.

Source: Morning Ag Clips