Surveys

Honey Bee Surveys and Reports

Honey Bee Surveys and Reports

NASS has three surveys and reports in the bee and honey program: The Honey report is an annual report of number of colonies producing honey, yield per colony, honey production, average price and value, and honey stocks. The Honey Bee Colonies report is an annual report of honey bee colonies, lost colonies, added colonies, renovated colonies and colonies affected by stressors by State and U.S. The Cost of Pollination report is an annual report that tracks the fees associated with crop producers’ use of honey bee pollination.

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Methodology and Quality Measures

Bee and Honey
April 12, 2024
April 14, 2023
April 18, 2022
April 15, 2021
April 16, 2018
March 21, 2014
March 18, 2013

Cost of Pollination
January 12, 2024
February 8, 2023
December 21, 2017
April 5, 2017

Honey Bee Colonies
August 30, 2024
August 31, 2023
August 29, 2022
October 28, 2021
Contact Information

For More information on U.S. honey bee reports, contact Seth Riggins at (202) 690-4870 or via email at Seth.Riggins@usda.gov.

About Our Honey Bee Surveys and Reports

Bee and Honey Inquiry Survey and resulting annual Honey report

  • NASS has conducted the Bee and Honey Inquiry survey annually since 1986. This report includes the number of colonies producing honey, yield per colony, honey production, average price, price by color class and value as well as honey stocks at the state and national levels.
  • In 2016, NASS made several changes to its Bee and Honey survey. The survey now includes new questions on the basic economics of beekeeping beyond honey production. These new questions gather information about income from pollination and other activities as well as expenses related to colony health, wintering, and employees.
  • From 2016 to 2018 NASS collected data from honey bee operations of all sizes. Previously only honey bee operations with five colonies or more were surveyed. During this time additional data were collected from operations with fewer than five colonies. Information including number of honey producing colonies, yield per colony, and total production were collected and published separately and does not alter the honey data series.
  • The Honey report includes state-level data on number of honey producing colonies, honey production and price by color class and marketing channel, for operations with five or more colonies. Data for operations with fewer than five colonies are published at the national level.

Colony Loss Survey and resulting Honey Bee Colonies report

  • NASS conducted the Colony Loss Survey for the first time in 2015. The survey collects the information called for in the White House Pollinator Health Task Force’s National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. It provides a statistical benchmark on colony numbers and death loss.
  • NASS surveyed 3,300 beekeeping operations with five or more colonies quarterly, following their operations throughout the year. The data includes colony inventory by state and the U.S. total, newly added or replaced colonies, number of colonies lost and renovated, and presence of colony stressors and specific signs of illness
  • To qualify for the survey sample, a beekeeper had to meet the definition of a farm, which is a place that sold or would normally have sold $1,000 of agricultural product in a year.
  • The responses allow data users to analyze data on a state-by-state basis and compare specific quarterly losses, additions and renovations.
  • The report includes colonies lost with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) symptoms. Losses reported in this category must meet all of four criteria of CCD: 1) Little to no build-up of dead bees in the hive or at the hive entrance, 2) Rapid loss of adult honey bee population despite the presence of queen, capped brood, 3) Absence or delayed robbing of the food reserves, and 4) Loss not attributable to varroa or nosema loads.
  • Survey results and definitions of terms are in the current Honey Bee Colonies report.

Cost of Pollination Survey and resulting annual Cost of Pollination report

  • NASS conducts the Cost of Pollination Survey to help accurately depict the status of the pollination industry in the United States.
  • NASS conducted the Cost of Pollination survey in 2016 and 2017 to track the cash fees associated with honey bee pollination. The Cost of Pollination report was published in December 2016 and 2017.The survey was suspended in 2018 (ASB Notice 12/6/18) and reinstated in 2022.
  • NASS surveys roughly 16,000 crop producers across the country, each fall, to ask about the fees they paid for honey bee pollination and any other expenses related to pollinating their crops.
  • The resulting Cost of Pollination report includes acreage that operations paid money to be pollinated by honey bees; the average price paid by operations to pollinate an acre of a crop; the total colonies used to pollinate a crop; the average price paid by operations to use a colony for pollination; and the total valuation for all pollination.

Last Modified: 09/26/2024