We try our best to ask only purposeful questions in the US Beekeeping Survey. We understand that completing a survey takes effort, so we appreciate very much that more than 500 beekeepers from across the country participated within the first week of its release. Thank you!

But, we need more responses to ensure this year’s US Beekeeping Survey is impactful!

Over the past few years our colleague Dr. Frank Rinkevich from the USDA-ARS Baton Rouge has shown that Varroa mites can be resistant to amitraz, which is widely used by beekeepers to control Varroa mites. This work exists because of the cooperation of beekeepers from across the country, who quite literally opened their operations to Dr. Rinkevich so that he could examine their Varroa mites. Better understanding patterns of amitraz resistance is importance because of the beekeeping industry’s heavy reliance on this active ingredient to manage Varroa.

This year the US Beekeeping Survey teamed up with Dr. Rinkevich to further shed light on how and why amitraz resistance exists. You’ll note we included several questions concerning amitraz. This was purposeful!

Once we identify amitraz use patterns and operational factors that lead to amitraz resistance in Varroa, we can make data-driven recommendations about how to delay, reverse, and manage amitraz resistance in Varroa. These recommendations will lead to more sustainable miticide use, more effective Varroa management, and more productive and longer-lived honey bee colonies across the entire beekeeping industry.

Therefore, please contribute as a Citizen Scientist to this monitoring effort before midnight on May 31^st. All US beekeepers aged 18 and over – from backyard hobbyists to those running multi-state commercial operations – are invited to participate. The survey takes 15-30 minutes to complete.