U.S. beekeepers lost more than half of the managed bee colonies last year, but there is debate over the cause, with some placing blame on pesticides.
However, that blame may be misplaced.
“This is not to say that pesticides don’t have an impact on bees and can’t kill bees. They do, but the USDA does surveys every year and they find, they ask, you know, beekeepers why did your hives die? And pesticides is not zero, but it’s down on the list,” according to Todd Myers.
He says that if pesticides were the lead cause, farmers would just be shooting themselves in the foot. He notes that farmers reliant on bees are typically the most careful.
“You know, it’s farmers who are the ones who get accused of using the pesticides that kill bees, when in fact, it’s the farmers who are probably the most careful and most knowledgeable about how not to kill bees,” Myers adds. “What is killing bees, and if you talk to any beekeeper— you ask them, ‘What’s the number one thing that’s killing your bees?’ They will all give you the exact same answer and that is a mite called the varroa mite, which is an invasive mite from southeast Asia.”
Mites are considered one of the honey bees greatest threats. They inflict more damage and higher economic costs than all other diseases and pests.
Oil-led rallies can move soybean prices quickly, but sustained gains will require continued strength in soybean oil and broader biofuel demand signals.
January 22, 2026 10:39 AM
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From meatpacking settlements to landmark NEPA rulings, Roger McEowen outlines the top legal developments in 2025 that will shape agriculture in the years ahead.
January 20, 2026 03:39 PM
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Corn growers are turning to ethanol, E15 expansion, and export markets to help absorb record supplies and stabilize prices. Farm leaders discuss low-carbon ethanol demand, flex-fuel vehicle challenges, input costs, and the role of USMCA as producers look for market relief in the year ahead.
January 20, 2026 02:04 PM
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RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey speaks with Texas’s Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez about USMCA renegotiation and its impact on U.S.–Mexico agriculture trade.
January 17, 2026 05:00 PM
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CoBank Knowledge Exchange’s Jeff Johnston shares the group’s positive perspective on expanding data centers into rural areas and weighs the risks and rewards for those communities.
January 16, 2026 01:44 PM
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National Corn Growers Association Chief Economist Krista Swanson discusses corn supply pressures, market fundamentals, policy considerations, and producer outlook for the year ahead.
January 16, 2026 01:13 PM
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