"Catastrophic" Losses Hit Minnesota Beekeepers

Right now, everyone is talking about the price of eggs. They are at record highs due to the bird flu, but the next food crisis could be even more costly.

Some new data released over the weekend suggests that honey bee colonies are dying off in record numbers across the country—so much so that one beekeeper called it "catastrophic."

Minnesota's Role in Honey Production

Minnesota ranks among the top honey-producing states in the country, and the Midwest as a whole dominates other regions with its number of honey bees. While honey supplies are bound to be affected by this crisis, it’s all the other things that bees do that have experts worried, especially here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

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Why Bees Matter to Our Food Supply

Bees play an essential role in agriculture by pollinating a variety of crops critical to our food supply. Fruits and vegetables, nuts (especially almonds), berries, melons, and plants grown for seeds and oils all rely on bees to thrive and produce.

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Shocking Findings from Project Apis m

Project Apis m., a nonprofit that funds research and efforts to improve honey bee health and vitality, asked over 700 beekeepers about colony losses, and what they found was shocking.

Commercial Beekeepers Hit Hardest

According to the data, commercial beekeepers—those with over 500 colonies—have lost a mind-blowing 62% of their colonies between June 2024 and February 2025, a trend that one beekeeper called "completely unsustainable."

Losses Across All Beekeeping Levels

Beyond the commercial beekeepers, they also surveyed "Sideliner Operations" (50-500 colonies) and "Hobbyist Beekeepers" (1-49 colonies). They are also seeing the troubling trend, with losses reported between 50-54%.

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A Troubling Trend Over Time

Over the 12-year period from 2010 to 2022, the average annual loss rate was reported at 39.6%. More recently, the 13-year average up to 2023-2024 was slightly higher at 40.3%, so you can see why these latest numbers are alarming.

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Gallery Credit: Stacker