Honey bee with “saddlebags” of pollen attached to their hind legs return to the Agriculture Department’s People’s Garden Apiary, atop the headquarters' Whitten Building in Washington, D.C. Plants within about two miles have pollen that bees will gather on their legs to bring back to the hive for food. The activity of gathering from many flowers before returning moves pollen from plant to plant. Bees provide one of the several types pollination methods. (USDA/Lance Cheung)

An Agriculture Department annual survey of beekeepers, released today, shows fewer colony losses occurred in the United States over the winter of 2013-14 than in recent years.

But beekeepers say losses remain higher than the level that they consider to be sustainable, and USDA announced plans to hold a conference this fall on pollinator health.

According to survey results, total losses of managed honey bee colonies from all causes were 23.2 percent nationwide. That number is above the 18.9 percent level of loss that beekeepers say is acceptable for their economic sustainability, but is a marked improvement over the 30.5 percent loss reported for the winter of 2012-2013, and over the eight-year average loss of 29.6 percent.

More than three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants rely on pollinators such as bees to reproduce, meaning pollinators help produce one out of every three bites of food Americans eat, USDA said.

“Pollinators, such as bees, birds and other insects are essential partners for farmers and ranchers and help produce much of our food supply. Healthy pollinator populations are critical to the continued economic well-being of agricultural producers,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“While we’re glad to see improvement this year, losses are still too high and there is still much more work to be done to stabilize bee populations.”

There is no way to tell why the bees did better this year, according to experts cited by USDA.

“Yearly fluctuations in the rate of losses like these only demonstrate how complicated the whole issue of honey bee health has become, with factors such as viruses and other pathogens, parasites like varroa mites, problems of nutrition from lack of diversity in pollen sources, and even sublethal effects of pesticides combining to weaken and kill bee colonies,” said Jeff Pettis, co-author of the survey and research leader of the Agricultural Research Service Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md.

The winter losses survey covers the period from October 2013 through April 2014. About 7,200 beekeepers responded to the voluntary survey.

A complete analysis of the bee survey data will be published later this year.

USDA said it will hold a summit aimed at addressing the nutrition and forage needs of pollinators in Washington, D.C., on October 20-21, with a consortium of public, private, and nongovernmental organizations in attendance.

Attendees will discuss the most recent research related to pollinator loss and work to identify solutions.

USDA also announced it has set up the People’s Garden Apiary “bee cam” at the headquarters as an additional effort to increase public awareness about the reduction of bee populations, and to inform Americans about actions they can take to support the recovery of pollinator populations.

The USDA “Bee Watch” website (see link below) will broadcast continuous honey bee hive activity live over the Internet.

Created in 2010, the People’s Garden Apiary is home to two beehives. The bees are Italian queens, the most common bee stock and the same used in many honey bee colonies throughout the United States.

Vilsack noted he has created a Pollinator Working Group, under the leadership of Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, to better coordinate efforts, leverage resources, and increase focus on pollinator issues across USDA agencies.

Earlier this year, USDA made $3 million available to help agriculture producers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan provide floral forage habitats to benefit pollinating species on working lands.

The honey bee pollinator effort is intended to encourage farmers and ranchers to grow alfalfa, clover and other flowering habitat for bees and other pollinators.

The president's fiscal year 2015 budget proposal provides $71 million for pollinator health activities through multiple USDA agencies.

Crop Life America said today in a news release that it was “encouraged” by the report, but said USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) would “enhance the rigor and value of the information and aid in the important work of improving bee health.”

▪ Bee Informed Partnership — Colony Loss 2013-2014 Summary
▪ USDA — Bee Watch