MOSCOW, Idaho — Honeybee producers in the United States saw steep losses of their bees last year, according to a recent survey by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The greatest losses came from varroa mites and pesticides, the service said. Honeybee losses in the Pacific Northwest were consistent with drops nationwide.

According to the service report, honeybee operations with five or more colonies in the U.S. totaled 2.68 million as of Jan. 1, 2023, down 7% from the previous year. From January to March, losses were down 14% and from April through June the number of colonies lost totaled 9%.

In Idaho, Oregon and Washington, honeybee colonies were down an average of 9% from April to June. Idaho beekeepers lost 5%, or 7,000 of their colonies; Oregon lost 18%, or 17,500 colonies; and Washington was down 11%, or 14,000 colonies.

In Idaho, varroa mites, which are a small parasite that feed on bees and bee larvae, were responsible for 40.9% of the stressors on colonies from April to June this year, NASS reported. Mites were responsible for 27.9% of the stressors in Oregon and 41.6% in Washington. Pesticides accounted for 5.7% of the stressors in Idaho, 14.3% in Oregon and 9.2% in Washington.