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UF entomologist warns of rising honeybee losses, cites Varroa, storms and invasive hornet threat
Summary
Dr. Jamie Ellis of the University of Florida told the Senate Committee on Agriculture that managed honeybee colony losses are large and that Varroa mites, weather events and an invasive yellow‑legged hornet found in Georgia pose significant risks to pollination services. He described UF research, diagnostics capacity and outreach programs.
Dr. Jamie Ellis, Gahan endowed professor of entomology at the University of Florida, told the Florida Senate Committee on Agriculture that managed honeybee colony losses are substantial and rising, and that the state’s beekeeping infrastructure and UF research programs are central to responding.
Ellis said about 2.5 million managed honeybee colonies existed in the U.S. in 2023 and that annual beekeeper losses typically hover around 43% nationally and roughly 44% in Florida. He told senators Florida requires beekeepers to register colonies, reporting 5,304 registered beekeepers in the state and an estimated up to 800,000 colonies present in Florida at times each year as colonies move through the state.
“Honey bees are important for honey production but what they really do for us is they provide very important pollination services,” Ellis said, noting that commercial beekeepers move colonies around the country to pollinate crops such as almonds, blueberries and watermelons. He explained that the average colony is used on multiple crops through a year and that pollination services contribute to a significant share of food production.
Ellis identified Varroa destructor as the principal threat to honeybee health, calling it “one of the largest parasites known on planet Earth” relative to the host and explaining that controlling a mite on an arthropod is especially challenging because treatments can also harm bees. He said that resistance to the principal miticide amitraz is being reported, and he linked Varroa and associated pathogens to many colony losses.
On invasive species, Ellis said the yellow‑legged hornet (detected in Georgia in February 2023) is a serious concern for the region and could spread into Florida. He described the hornet’s hunting behavior and European reports of significant losses where the hornet is established and said Georgia found additional nests in 2024.
Ellis described University of Florida resources and state‑supported labs: a bee laboratory funded in 2018, an apiary inspection program run with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and a new diagnostics lab for honeybee pests and pathogens. He also described UF extension products, including a Beekeeping Academy video series, an internationally downloaded podcast “Two Bees in a Pod,” and an upcoming bee college.
In questions, senators asked how colony losses are recovered and whether federal assistance exists. Ellis said beekeepers recover losses by splitting surviving colonies or purchasing replacement stock from package or “nuc” producers and noted the federal Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm‑Raised Fish Program (ELAP) can provide limited payments for losses due to conditions such as Colony Collapse Disorder when documented.
Ellis warned that recent informal reports from commercial operations indicate winter losses substantially above historical averages, with some beekeepers reporting 70–90% losses; he said a national survey and formal numbers were expected in the following weeks. He recommended monitoring for the yellow‑legged hornet and continuing UF research and extension support for beekeepers.
