California honey bee, devastated by increasingly resistant mites

Honey bees across the country are attacked by tiny eight legs parasitic mites. These mites grow between the segments of the adult bodies of bees or invade their larvae and infect them with viruses – they deform their wings and leave them without flights.

This is not only problematic for bees – whose whole colonies can be destroyed by an unverified invasion of mites – but also for California, which relies on bees for food production and the economy.

Earlier this month, the State Assembly prevailed a bill that will direct the California Department of Food and Agriculture to create a Health program for managed bee beesS The department will work with beekeepers, farmers, scientists, agricultural commissioners and other stakeholders to provide grants for projects and research that maintains managed bees.

“Without our honey bees, we are at risk of losing work and a huge part of our economy,” said the Assembly member RhodesiaStockton Democrat and co -author of the author of the bill. “This (a bill) is an integral part of maintaining our ability to self -assign and contribute to healthy foods in the United States and around the world.”

Another MP from the Central Valley, the republican dispute Heather Hadwick of Redding, co -author of the bill.

Honey bees and mites

Compared to the bees of the carpenter or the bees, the bees are much more controlled pollinators who build stronger and larger colonies. They are essential for pollinating the most common crops in California, including cherries, melons and almonds. California almonds are a Industry with a very billion dollarAnd the pollination of orchards in California serves as the largest migration of bee bees in the world.

In 2024, bees in California also produce 13.3 million kilograms of honey – nearly 10% of the country’s delivery – worth $ 32.8 million.

But since the late 1980s, originally a native of Asia Varroa began to penetrate the bee colonies in the United States until the early 2000s, they were “in the hives of all,” said Ryan Burris, President of the California Beekeepers Association and a third generation bee.

Pesticides and other pest management methods have stabilized the population of bees over some decades. But the commercial deaths of bee bees have been rising in the United States in recent years and the reason why it remains unclear. Between June 2024 and March 2025, beekeepers lost 1.6 million colonies – an average of 62% of their coloniesS This national shortage also has caused by more bee theftsS

In addition to mites, honey bees are at risk of pesticides, habitat loss and lack of food and nutrition. Each danger is its own problems, but more special mites have destroyed beekeepers.

The killing of pesticide mites is complicated: mites have grown resistant to some chemicals, so beekeepers should routinely replace different pesticides while trying to avoid pollution of honey of large doses of chemicals. Financial losses due to mites can be stunning, according to Burris.

“There is time when you treat, treat, heal. You want to rest bees, but mites just come back,” Buris said. “They also blow up all the money you have spent, trying to save and treat bees are outside the door. It’s completely desperate because it’s our livelihood. The hive can bring you money to pollinate almonds; money to pollinate other crops; and honey.”

Bee health program

The managing program for the health of bee bees offered by Ransom and Hadwick will provide grants to help beekeepers and farmers plant more crops so that bees can eat; Buy an issue; or buy probiotics to improve the health of bees, among other things

The program will be funded either through the state, the units, the federal and private funds, or through the combination. The funding of the grants is likely to range in hundreds of thousands of dollars to low millions, while operational costs, as a contract management staff, will cost low hundreds of thousands, according to Carson Knight, a legislative assistant to the ransom’s cabinet.

Although there is no formal opposition to the proposal, the provision of funding can be a difficult sale of legislators as they are struggling with a Budget deficit of $ 12 billionS

Currently, the bill is before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, where it can be considered in mid -July. Until then, Burris said he was crossing his fingers, that the measure, if signed in the law, would help the beekeeping industry.

“Bees are so important,” Buris said. Without the bees “You can take out three quarters of your supermarket.”