2023-2024 US Beekeeping Survey: Colony Loss and Management

Hosted by: Apiary Inspectors of America and Auburn University

The Apiary Inspectors of America first contributed to a national survey of honey bee colony losses in 2007, during a time of uncertainty due to Colony Collapse Disorder. Since then, a version of the Survey has been organized by the Bee Informed Partnership , in collaboration with the University of Maryland and Auburn University.

The Bee Informed Partnership restricted its activities during Fall 2023, and is not planning to organize a national survey. Because the Survey served as an important tool to measure the state of America’s beekeeping industry, the Apiary Inspectors of America teamed up with Auburn University to support the distribution of a new national survey of managed honey bee colony losses and beekeeping practices. We highly value the importance of long-term information on the state of America’s beekeeping industry, so this survey compliments previous efforts by the Bee Informed Partnership.

Between May 1^st – 31^st, beekeepers – from hobbyist to commercial – are encouraged to take the survey by completing the online questionnaire . By doing so, you will become a Citizen Scientist, contributing to valuable long-term monitoring of managed colony losses and beekeeping practices in the United States. Data obtained from this survey is used by a diversity of stakeholders, ranging from national beekeeping organizations that request for federal and state support of the industry, to scientists at our country’s land-grant universities that design research plans to address major industry issues.

National and state-specific preliminary results from this year’s survey will be released 2-3 months after the online questionnaire closes on May 31^st.

If you would like to review the Survey before you complete the online questionnaire to help you better prepare your answers, feel free to:

• For beekeepers with 50 or fewer colonies on October 1, 2023: Small-scale survey preview
• For beekeepers with more than 50 colonies on October 1, 2023: Large-scale survey preview

Results from the Bee Informed Partnership-organized surveys