US Scientists: Honeybees Show Improvement After Bad Year

A new study shows the American honeybee population is slowly recovering after suffering major losses the year before.

Beekeepers in the United States lost only 22.2 percent of their honeybee colonies¹ during the past winter, from October 1, 2019 to March 31 of this year. That is lower than the average winter loss of 28.6 percent.

Those numbers come from a group called the Bee Informed Partnership². It organized a recent survey of thousands of U.S. beekeepers.

The survey found that last winter was the second smallest winter loss in 14 years of studies. The loss last winter was less than the winter of 2018-2019, when a record 37.7 percent of colonies died off, researchers found.

After that winter, the losses continued through the summer of 2019, when beekeepers reported a loss rate of 32 percent. Yet that rate was higher than the average of 21.6 percent for summer losses.

Nathalie Steinhauer is with the Bee Informed Partnership. She told The Associated Press that although the summer losses were higher, the winter deaths are "really the test of colony³ health." Steinhauer believes the findings⁴ are good news for the insects. "It turned out to be a very good year," she said.

Historically, honeybee populations usually have good years following bad ones, Steinhauer added.

The survey involved a total of 3,377 beekeepers nationwide. Some operate businesses for profit, while others just keep bees at home as a hobby.

Jerry Bromenshenk is a bee expert from the University of Montana. He was not part of the survey. He told the AP he hopes a lower winter loss will bring better results in 2020. Bromenshenk said that he thinks that can happen if the weather cooperates⁵ and beekeepers exercise good colony management.

U.S. beekeepers might also move more of their colonies to weather-resistant areas during the winter to improve the chances of survival⁶, said Keith Delaplane, who studies insects. He is with the University of Georgia.

New U.S. Department of Agriculture research suggests putting bees in "cold storage" to help them get through the winter.

Scientists have long watched the population of animal pollinators – which are critical to the world's food supply - shrink⁷.

Honeybees are among the easiest pollinators to follow. But experts say they are threatened by diseases⁸, mites¹⁰, chemical products, and loss of food.

Steinhauer said she and other scientists are seeing the current loss rates as "part of the new normal."

I'm Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

honeybee – n. a kind of bee that lives with others in a hive and makes honey

hobby – n. an activity someone does for pleasure when they are not working

management – n. the control and organization of something

pollinate – v. to take pollen¹¹ from one plant or part of a plant to another so new plant seeds can be produced

mite⁹ – n. a very small animal similar to a spider

1 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

2 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

3 colony   

n.殖民地；(同类人的)聚居地

参考例句：

• There lived a colony of bees on the tree.树上生活着一群蜜蜂。
• They live in an artists'colony.他们住在艺术家聚居区。

4 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

5 cooperates   

合作，配合，协助( cooperate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• We anticipated hand in hand cooperates with you, altogether creates magnificently. 我们期待与您携手合作，共创辉煌。
• The hope cooperates hand in hand with you, realizes altogether wins! 希望与您携手合作，实现共赢！

6 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

7 shrink   

n.收缩，萎缩；vi.收缩，退缩，萎缩；vt.使收缩

参考例句：

• Washing wool in hot water will shrink it.在热水中洗毛织品会使其缩水。
• This cloth won't shrink when it's washed.这种布下水不缩。

8 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

9 mite   

n.极小的东西；小铜币

参考例句：

• The poor mite was so ill.可怜的孩子病得这么重。
• He is a mite taller than I.他比我高一点点。

10 mites   

n.（尤指令人怜悯的）小孩( mite的名词复数 )；一点点；一文钱；螨

参考例句：

• The only discovered animals are water bears, mites, microscopic rotifers. 能够发现的动物只有海蜘蛛、螨和微小的轮虫。 来自辞典例句
• Mites are frequently found on eggs. 螨会经常出现在蛋上。 来自辞典例句

11 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。