Can a small insect shape one in three bites of the food on your plate?
This guide explains how honey bee biology and behavior link to practical outcomes for U.S. food systems, ecosystems, and beekeeping. We translate current studies into clear, usable content for backyard keepers and growers alike.
In the United States, honey bees arrived with European settlers and became vital partners for high‑value crops like almonds and berries. Managed colonies have fallen since the 1940s, and pressures now include Varroa mites, emerging pathogens, limited forage, and mixed pesticide effects.
Our hub curates trustworthy findings from federal labs (ARS sites in Beltsville, Tucson, Baton Rouge) and universities such as Penn State. We focus on gut health, nutrition, land‑use impacts, and practical hive management that help keep colonies healthy.
Key Takeaways
- Honey bee health matters for roughly one in three bites of food.
- Multiple stressors—parasites, pathogens, nutrition gaps, and chemicals—interact to harm colonies.
- Federal and university teams publish actionable findings that improve hive care.
- Landscape choices, like enhanced forage or CRP, can boost colony performance.
- This guide turns evidence into steps beekeepers can use today.
Why Honeybee Research Matters to U.S. Food Systems and Ecosystems
Pollination by managed colonies touches nearly one mouthful in three on American plates. That link shapes the variety, color, and nutrition of many fruits, vegetables, berries, and tree nuts we eat.
Pollination’s value: one mouthful in three and high‑value crops
Almonds, berries, and many fruits rely on dependable pollination. California almonds alone draw nearly three‑quarters of managed colonies to the state each January–February for a short but critical bloom window.
From Old World bees to modern agriculture: the U.S. context and trends
Honey bees were introduced from Europe centuries ago along with many crops. Their managed use grew as agriculture demanded reliable, mobile pollination.
Managed colony numbers fell from roughly 5 million in the 1940s to about 2.66 million. Annual losses averaged near 30% after colony collapse concerns emerged, forcing beekeepers to split hives and buy queens to meet pollination demand.
Policy and practice both matter: EPA rules aim to limit pesticide harm, and the public can help by avoiding midday spraying and planting nectar‑rich plants to support foragers.
For deeper data on colony losses and recovery, see recent studies that inform how management and habitat choices keep food systems resilient.
Honeybee research
Bees face a web of threats—parasites, disease agents, poor forage, and pesticide exposure—that act together on hive health.
Parasites and pests: Varroa destructor arrived in the U.S. in 1987 and remains the top problem for beekeepers. The mite feeds on hemolymph and spreads viruses like deformed wing virus, creating dual stress that raises colony risk even when hives look strong.
Small hive beetles and wax moths can rapidly ruin comb and stored honey. Beetle larvae and moth caterpillars grow fast and often overwhelm weak colonies or unprotected equipment.
Pathogens and immunity: Since the 1980s, viruses, European foulbrood, and Nosema ceranae have expanded the disease mix. Poor nutrition from monocultures weakens immune defenses; diverse pollen helps resilience while supplements fill gaps in winter or dearths.
Pesticides and exposure: Surveys detect many residues, including in-hive miticides. Field evidence for sublethal effects is mixed, so good practice is to rotate treatments, follow thresholds, time sprays away from forager activity, and report incidents to EPA or state agencies.
- Practical tip: Combine mite monitoring, habitat improvement (CRP/forage), and careful chemical use for best outcomes.
Who’s doing the work: programs, labs, and active projects in the United States
A national network of labs and centers translates bench work into management steps that protect hives and crops.
ARS National Program and lab network: ARS runs the Bee Research Laboratory (Beltsville, MD), the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center (Tucson, AZ), and the Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Unit (Baton Rouge, LA). Other sites in Davis, Logan, Peoria, Fargo, Madison and more focus on pathogens, Varroa biology, microbiomes, genetics, and landscape effects.
Penn State leadership: The Center for Pollinator Research studies virus diversity, pesticide impacts, mite–virus interactions, and decision tools that help growers and beekeepers. Faculty expertise spans genomics, immunity, behavior, and IPPM for tree fruit.
Key findings link CRP adjacency to better colony performance, show nutrition alters disease burden, and report mixed sublethal pesticide effects at field levels. CCD spiked in 2006–2007 and then fell, while average annual losses stayed near 30%, keeping management priorities high.
| Center | Strength | Active projects |
|---|---|---|
| Beltsville, MD | Diagnostics & pathogens | Virus monitoring, pathogen inactivation |
| Tucson, AZ | Forage & nutrition | Landscape forage trials, diet studies |
| Baton Rouge, LA | Breeding & genetics | Stock improvement, physiology |
| Penn State | Genomics & decision tools | Mite‑virus dynamics, monitoring tech |
Where to go next: Check lab pages and your local beekeepers association for publications, extension workshops, and outreach events that bring findings into everyday beekeeping.
From research to real-world beekeeping and public action
Practical steps turn lab findings into steady hive gains for backyard and commercial beekeepers alike.
Best practices for beekeepers: health, winter survival, and mite control
Follow ARS-style management: monitor mite loads on a regular schedule, rotate treatment types, and combine chemical controls with cultural tactics to keep pressure below damage thresholds.
Prepare hives for winter by building the right population, securing a healthy queen, and topping up stores when nectar is scarce. Supplemental feeding improves winter survival and overall honey production.
Use decision tools—like Randy Oliver’s Varroa model—to plan timing and test scenarios before you treat. Keep clear records of mite counts, treatments, and overwinter outcomes to refine your plan each season.
Public support and outreach: plants, timing, and tools
Neighborhood action matters. Avoid pesticide sprays during midday forager activity and plant nectar- and pollen-rich species such as red clover, bee balm, foxglove, and Joe‑Pye weed to extend forage season.
Partner with extension services and your local beekeepers association to share seed mixes, coordinate spray timing, and run outreach events that reduce losses across the community.
| Audience | Priority Action | Practical Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Beekeepers | Monitor mites; winter prep; recordkeeping | Varroa model; hive log sheets |
| Public & gardeners | Plant forage; avoid midday sprays | Seed lists; coordinated spraying calendars |
| Associations & extension | Outreach; training; data sharing | Workshops; local surveys |
For seasonal checklists and hands-on tasks, see a practical guide to seasonal tasks that help translate findings into habit.
Conclusion
Sustaining healthy colonies matters for the food on our tables and the landscapes around us.
, The U.S. story shows a fall in colony number from roughly 5 million to about 2.66 million and ongoing annual losses near 30% since the CCD era. Science and national program partners show that diversified forage, CRP lands, and careful pesticide timing help reduce those losses.
Practical management—strong mite control, good winter prep, tracking hive metrics, and working with your local beekeepers association—improves honey bee health and pollination of crops and plants. For data on colony losses and outcomes, see this colony losses review.
With steady practice, community action, and ongoing research, honey and harvests can become more reliable in the years ahead.
