AUSTIN (KXAN) — Unbee-lievable: The American honeybee population has soared to record heights amid concerted efforts at the national and local level to bolster bee colonies, according to a data analysis from The Washington Post.
The 2022 Census of Agriculture dataset released earlier this year found there are 3.8 million bee colonies in the U.S., up from nearly 2.9 million recorded in the 2017 Census of Agriculture estimate. Texas leads as the top producer of bee farms nationally, with more than 8,900 farms reported in 2022 and over 271,000 bee colonies, resulting in nearly 8.5 million pounds of honey collected.
And here’s the bee’s knees: Honeybees are a critical contributor due to the pollination work they do, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Honeybees help pollinate approximately $15 billion of crops in the U.S. annually, benefitting more than 130 types of fruits, nuts and vegetables, the USDA said.
The uptick in honey populations represents a marked improvement in national colony figures decades in the making. Back in the winter of 2006-2007, beekeepers reportedly abnormally high hive losses, with between 30% and 90% lost, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Up to half of them didn’t present any clear indication or symptoms of what would’ve caused those honey bee deaths.
The EPA said possible factors leading to the mass bee deaths could’ve included:
- Heightened presence of the invasive varroa mite, which is a known pest to honeybees
- New or emerging diseases
- Pesticide poisoning
- Changes to habitat
- Poor nutrition and foraging for bees
- Potential immune-suppressing stress caused by one or more of these factors onto bees
The EPA has been working to investigate pesticide impacts on pollinators, including honeybees. At the state level, Texas leaders in recent years have also thrown their support behind beekeeping initiatives, including a 2012 law that created a tax break for those keeping bees on at least five acres of land, per reporting from The Texas Tribune.
In Austin, keeping livestock is permitted in most residential areas within the city, with qualifying livestock including bees. The city does have several guidelines beekeepers must enforce if they’re keeping them within the city:
- Beehives aren’t to be located within 10 feet of the property owner’s property line. The individual property’s acreage determines how many bee colonies property owners are permitted to have
- Some property owners might be required to construct a flyaway barrier (like a wall, fence or dense vegetation), depending on the beehives’ location
- City officials encourage beehives to be relocated as opposed to destroyed if a relocation is needed
If someone needs assistance with beehive relocations or inspections, Texas A&M AgriLife Research’s Texas Apiary Inspection Service is available to help.