Nearly two decades after the phrase “colony collapse disorder” entered the national vocabulary, American beekeepers are still losing colonies at rates that threaten their livelihoods and increase pressure on the nation’s food system.
In her new book, "Bitter Honey: Big Ag’s Threat to Bees and the Fight to Save Them," writer and researcher Jennie Durant argues that the crisis cannot be understood solely as a problem inside the hive.
Durant examines how pesticide exposure, shrinking habitat, monoculture farming and the long-distance transportation of commercial hives can weaken bees already confronting parasites, disease and increasingly extreme weather.
Durant has spent more than a decade working with beekeepers, scientists and policymakers, including at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of California campuses at Davis and Berkeley.
The book arrives after an exceptionally damaging period for commercial beekeepers. Federal researchers reported that more than 60% of commercially managed colonies were lost between the summer of 2024 and early 2025 — about 1.7 million colonies, with an estimated economic cost of $600 million. USDA scientists linked much of that episode to viruses transmitted by Varroa mites that had developed resistance to a widely used mite treatment.
Nevertheless, scientists caution against attributing bee deaths to one cause. Varroa mites are considered a leading immediate threat to managed honeybees, but pesticides, inadequate nutrition, habitat loss, climate extremes, pathogens and intensive management practices can interact, making colonies less resilient.
Classic colony collapse disorder, marked by worker bees abruptly abandoning an otherwise provisioned hive, has declined substantially since its peak years.
Overall colony mortality, however, remains persistently high. Beekeepers can rebuild colonies by splitting surviving hives or purchasing new bees, keeping the national colony count relatively stable, but often at considerable expense.
The problem also extends beyond managed honeybees. Many native bee species face habitat destruction, pesticide exposure and climate-related disruptions, yet are monitored far less consistently.
Guest:
Jennie Durant is a writer and researcher focused on bees, agriculture, and the environment. She has spent more than a decade working with beekeepers, scientists, and policymakers, including time at the US Department of Agriculture and University of California, at both Davis and Berkeley.
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