Texas bee decline. New filings, studies and numbers. Every item links to its source.
U.S. Beekeeping Survey (Auburn University, Oregon State University, Apiary Inspectors of America), April 2025 to April 2026. Overall managed-colony loss was 39.9%. Backyard 54.8% [CI 46.5-62.2], commercial 38.7% [CI 28.3-52.2]. The survey notes this reverses the previous two years, when commercial operations lost more. Beekeepers' own 'acceptable' winter loss averaged 21.1%.
University of Illinois farmdoc daily (Altschuler, Goodrich, Janzen, May 8, 2026), using USDA's $129-per-colony value. Colony losses themselves cost about $175 million, 29% of $602 million in honey, pollination and other revenue. Added plus renovated colonies exceeded colonies lost every year from 2020 to 2024. The authors write that total inventories 'have remained relatively stable since 2008' while beekeepers lose about 41% of colonies a year.
Via The Guardian.
Via KAXE.
Via Panola Watchman | Carthage, TX.
Via Yahoo.
Via kens5.com.
Via WAMU.
Tax Code Sec. 23.51(2) counts 'the use of land to raise or keep bees for pollination or for the production of human food or other tangible products having a commercial value, provided that the land used is not less than 5 or more than 20 acres.' Each county appraisal district sets how many hives per acre it requires.
Pesticide, apiary and agricultural-valuation bills filed from Nov. 9 will appear in this feed as the Legislature posts them.
Via The Killeen Daily Herald.
Via Natural Diamond Council.
Via CBC.
Via KABB.
Via The Times of India.
Via San Antonio Express-News.
Via MySA.
Via kens5.com.
Via Citrus Industry Magazine.
Via One Earth.
Via 12newsnow.com.
What worker bee Monica Siwiak is bringing to her new colony The post AgriLife Extension welcomes beekeeping expert appeared first on AgriLife Today .
Via AgriLife Today.
Via WWMT.
Via KXAN Austin.
Via WDBJ7.
Via Jewish Herald-Voice.
Via People.com.
Via Community Impact Newspaper.
Via KBTX News 3.
Via kens5.com.
Via People.com.
Via Yahoo.
Via Smithsonian Magazine.
Via FWS.gov.
Via The Guardian.
Via The Economic Times.
Environmental Protection Agency. Notice. In accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator's March 18, 2022, Memorandum entitled Consent Decrees and Settlement Agreements to Resolve Environmental Claims Against the Agency, notice is hereby given of a proposed settlement agreement that resolves In re Natural Resour…
USDA count for operations with 5+ colonies. Started the quarter at 154,000; peak 235,000 after about 81,000 hives were moved into Texas. NASS loss rate 7% is figured against the peak; against the starting count it is 10.6%. Added = new or replacement colonies made by splitting or bought. Renovated = requeened or given a package or nuc.
Percent of Texas colonies affected, as reported by beekeepers to USDA (a colony can have more than one): varroa mites 17.9%, other pests and parasites 1.8%, diseases <0.5%, pesticides 1.2%, other 8.5%, unknown 4.3%.
USDA count for operations with 5+ colonies. Started the quarter at 139,000; peak 156,000 after about 17,000 hives were moved into Texas. NASS loss rate 5% is figured against the peak; against the starting count it is 5.8%. Added = new or replacement colonies made by splitting or bought. Renovated = requeened or given a package or nuc.
Percent of Texas colonies affected, as reported by beekeepers to USDA (a colony can have more than one): varroa mites 12.2%, other pests and parasites 6.1%, diseases 1.4%, pesticides 3.5%, other 2%, unknown 2.6%.
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