Perceived impacts of unusual and extreme weather events on beekeeping

Unusual and extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, heavy rainfall, and storms, can have serious impacts on honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies: droughts can limit plants’ nectar and pollen production; rain and wind can limit foraging time; wildfires and floods can destroy colonies outright or their surrounding resources. With extreme events becoming more frequent, we attempted to quantify their impact on US beekeepers through a perception questionnaire included in the 2022 Bee Informed Partnership survey. Droughts were seen as the most impactful event type on colonies; 25% of US beekeepers (representing 87% of colonies) reported negative impacts from droughts in 2021-2022. The majority of reports came from the West region and migratory beekeepers, and commercial beekeepers were more likely to report droughts. By contrast, “high winds and storms” were widely reported by beekeepers (37%, representing 23% of colonies), but mostly without noticeable impact. Overall, the vast majority of impacts from unusual weather events were negative. This was the first attempt to document the prevalence and severity of weather impacts on the US honey bee population and beekeeping. A better understanding of the scope of their potential impact should help stakeholders and policymakers better plan for changing conditions.