Honeybee Deaths Surge In U.S.: 'Something Real Bad Is Going On'

Honeybees aren't native to the United States, but they play a big role in food production.

Honeybees, which serve a crucial role in food production, have been dying in staggering numbers in the United States.

U.S. commercial beekeepers saw colony losses averaging 62% over the past winter, according to a survey released last month from honeybee research nonprofit Project Apis m. The survey was based on data that included more than two-thirds of commercially raised honeybees in the U.S.

“Something real bad is going on this year,” Scott McArt, associate entomology professor at Cornell University, told The Guardian.

Last week, entomologists at Washington State University forecast that total honeybee losses this year could reach up to 70%. Over the past decade, annual losses have typically been between 40 and 50%, but the numbers have been “increasing steadily” as time goes on, the report said.

Until about two decades ago, beekeepers would typically lose only 10-20% of their bees over the winter months, according to The Guardian.