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Honey Bee Health Coalition Urges USDA to Support Research and Transparency Amid Catastrophic Colony Losses
In response to growing concerns over widespread honey bee colony losses this year, the Honey Bee Health Coalition has submitted a formal letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging decisive action to support pollinator health and protect the critical role honey bees play in food production and ecosystem stability.
The Coalition’s letter specifically calls on the USDA to maintain full funding and operational capacity for the Agricultural Research Service’s (USDA-ARS) honey bee research units nationwide. These facilities and the scientists who lead them are at the forefront of understanding the complex challenges affecting bee health, including disease, nutrition, habitat loss, pesticides, and climate stressors.
In addition to continued support, the Coalition is also requesting that USDA-ARS scientists be granted the ability to publicly share their recent findings on the causes of the 2025 colony losses—reported by many beekeepers and industry stakeholders as among the most severe in recent memory. Transparent communication of this research is essential to informing the beekeeping community, guiding evidence-based policy, and supporting collaborative solutions.
The Honey Bee Health Coalition remains committed to advancing coordinated, science-driven strategies that improve honey bee health. We believe that strong federal support and open communication from key research institutions are critical to responding effectively to this year’s unprecedented losses and to strengthening pollinator resilience moving forward.
