HONEYBEES IN CRISIS
Many folks don’t realize it, but we may be on the brink of a real crisis, one that could threaten our nation’s food supply. It involves the pollinators, and it could spell disaster. Hi everyone, Ken Baxter here coming to you from sunny Las Vegas, Nevada and I wanted to share this information with you. While enjoying a beautiful, summer day in my backyard, there was something noticeably missing, the bees. I decided to check to see if it was just my yard and discovered an organization called “Save the Bee”, dedicated to protecting honeybees and the important role they play in pollinating America’s food supply. It was there I learned that I wasn’t wrong about the bees.
“Save the Bee” reports that managed honeybee populations have recently seen severe losses. Between June 2024 and February 2025, commercial beekeepers in the United States reported an average colony loss of 62%, with some operations losing up to 100% of hives! Keep in mind that 75% of the crops in the US and around the world are pollinated by honeybees.
Several reasons have been blamed for the steep decline of the honeybee population starting with higher winter losses during the 2024-2025 season, pesticides, bacteria, pathogens including parasites & viruses, poor nutrition caused by a lack of native plants, and loss of habitat for wild bees.
Bee colonies can be wiped out by an extreme winter season, or as in our case, the extreme heat Las Vegas experienced in 2024. Under the right conditions, a bee colony can recover to nearly full strength in a year. A strong and healthy queen can lay between 1,500 to 2,000 eggs per day. The maturity cycle of a worker bee takes about 21, days; drones, 24 days; queens,16 days.
Amazingly, in 6-8 weeks a colony can significantly rebuild its strength with a healthy queen, and abundant resources; nectar, pollen and space. We all can help by planting native plants in our gardens and pots so the colonies have additional sources of nectar. Everyone can help the bee population recover by taking small steps to attract pollinators to gardens and making sure they have a good time when they arrive. The video above, produced by the Las Vegas Springs Preserve gives a few ideas on how homeowners can help the recovery.
Human beings depend on the pollinators of nature, namely bees, hummingbirds and even butterflies for the food we eat. Many don’t even realize how important they are, until there is a problem.
I’m Ken Baxter, and I am glad you stopped by. Together we can help the bee colonies recover. Don’t forget to visit our other sites, KenBaxter.com, We The People and Rocketman.
