01-03-2025
Colorado bees, crops could fail without federally published data, beekeepers say
DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado's beekeepers are pleading with legislators for emergency assistance to help alleviate what a state association called 'unprecedented nationwide challenges in honey bee (livestock) health.'
'Currently, USDA-ARS researchers are processing emergency samples, and we need their work and funding to be protected, as well as the continuation of emergency assistance for honeybees under ELAP,' the Colorado State Beekeepers Association said in a letter sent to policymakers in the state and federal government.
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ELAP, or Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish, offers financial assistance to producers suffering losses from specific adverse conditions not covered by other U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster assistance programs. Beekeepers can be eligible if they experience 'honey bee colony, hive and feed losses due to colony collapse disorder, eligible adverse weather, and other conditions,' according to the USDA.
The CSBA noted that a study of beekeepers 'revealed catastrophic honey bee colony losses across the United States, with commercial operations reporting an average loss of 62% between June 2024 and February 2025.' The group said that because it's still winter, many hobby beekeepers cannot confirm colony survival or loss.
On the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website, colony collapse disorder was first noticed as a prevalent issue during the winter of 2006 into 2007. Since then, the EPA has taken action to protect pollinators across the country.
The Colorado beekeeping group said that the USDA has emergency samples from hives and the beekeeping industry is eager to see the results analyzed and published.
'Beekeepers across the nation are waiting for advice from researchers – including Dr. Jay Evans & Dr. Zachary Lamas at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center as well as many collaborators – on what is causing the critical colony loss numbers & how we can best manage our remaining colonies going forward,' the CSBA told officials in its letter.
'Without data-informed management practices as we work to protect remaining colonies and recover from the significant losses, we risk a catastrophic collapse in honey bee colony numbers that would have long-term impact on pollinated crops (from fruits and vegetables in your grocery store to seed production) and food security in the United States,' CSBA said.
Colorado Rep. Katie Stewart, a Democrat who represents a large swath of southwest Colorado, released a statement on Wednesday about how the funding freezes in the USDA could impact farmers and ranchers in rural Colorado.
'A sweeping funding freeze and employee layoffs at the USDA have jeopardized the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers in Southern Colorado. Freezing federally-supported USDA grant programs is bad for hardworking farmers and ranchers, hurts rural Colorado, and will raise food prices for everyone,' Stewart said.
'From conservation efforts to localized infrastructure projects, farmers and ranchers were promised funding to improve farming and ranch operations and strengthen our food supply – but this bait and switch could leave them on the hook for unexpected costs,' she added.
Federal courts have ruled that the funding freeze must be lifted, but lobbyist groups for the agriculture sector say no such action has been taken.
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