New data published by Spring Hill Nursery has shown that the Michigan bee population has grown by 50% since 2018. Michigan has seen the 4th largest growth in the bee population in the United States within the last 2 years. Michigan follows Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Maine, in the third, second, and first place, respectively. Maine has seen a 72.86% increase in the bee population since 2018.
California has reported the largest drop in the bee colony population, losing 160,000 bee colonies in 2 years. That being said, California still has the largest number of bee colonies, as the only state with more than a million colonies.
For years, colony loss was attributed to a rare phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, which occurs when worker bees abandon the queen, the hive’s food supply, and some nurse bees. A colony’s survival often relies on the presence of worker bee populations.
Bee-lieve it or not, Michigan bee populations are on the rise according to new data
Worldwide bee colonies are still in massive decline, with a 40.7% decrease in bee population worldwide. Some regions of the world have reported as much as a 90% drop in bee populations within the last 15 years, according to National Geographic. In the U.S we are seeing drastic decreases in many species of wild bees vital to our food crops. In Michigan, the rusty patched bumblebee has become extinct, and researchers have reported a 50% decline in six other species.
It’s believed that the leading causes of a declining bee population a pesticides, and insecticides as well as parasites, pathogens, and limited sources of nectar and pollen.