The closure comes at a critical moment for bees. In winter 2025, many beekeepers lost over half their operations as\u00a0pesticide-resistant<\/a>\u00a0varroa mites spread, bringing deadly viruses. The losses have led to\u00a0low honey production<\/a>, and soaring fuel costs have made shipping bees cross-country for agricultural pollination increasingly expensive, further stressing the industry.<\/p>\n During my\u00a014 years researching bees and beekeepers<\/a>, and in writing my new book, \u201cBitter Honey: Big Ag\u2019s Threat to Bees and the Fight to Save Them<\/a>,\u201d I\u2019ve seen beekeepers\u00a0frequently turn to the USDA bee labs for support<\/a>\u00a0during crises like this. Because honey bees contribute roughly\u00a0US$15 billion<\/a>\u00a0to U.S. crop production \u2013 native and managed bees\u00a0pollinate more than 130 crops<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 these labs help stabilize the nation\u2019s food system.<\/p>\n Today, that scientific support system is at risk, just as beekeepers face their greatest challenges and\u00a0native bee populations continue to decline<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why the Beltsville Bee Lab matters<\/p>\n USDA\u2019s bee researchers have served beekeepers for over\u00a0130 years<\/a>, including nearly 90 years at the Beltsville station. One of the Beltsville Bee Lab\u2019s standout services is its bee disease\u00a0diagnostic service<\/a>, where beekeepers can send samples for analysis free of charge.<\/p>\n Since the early 2000s, Beltsville researchers have helped beekeepers respond to\u00a0varroa mites<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a\u00a0primary driver<\/a>\u00a0of high colony losses each year. Now, the lab is helping them\u00a0prepare for a deadlier mite<\/a>\u00a0that is infesting honey bees in Asia,\u00a0Tropilaelaps mercedesae, or \u201ctropi\u201d mites \u2013 by developing detection and response protocols that beekeepers can use to protect their colonies.<\/p>\n While the Beltsville Bee Lab supports beekeepers nationwide, it\u2019s located in a prime farming and beekeeping region. Its closure would leave a critical research gap in the Northeast, where beekeepers\u00a0help pollinate<\/a>\u00a0cranberries, squash, blueberries and other crops.<\/p>\n Its location has also allowed researchers to conduct extensive studies on winter colony losses, research that would be difficult to replicate at the remaining\u00a0USDA bee labs<\/a>, which are primarily located in more temperate climates.<\/p>\n Hidden costs of bee lab closures<\/p>\n The USDA states that it will decommission the entire Beltsville Agricultural Research Center because building maintenance and renovations would cost an estimated\u00a0$500 million<\/a>. But closing the lab could cost beekeepers, farmers and consumers far more.<\/p>\n For example, in winter 2025, beekeepers experienced their\u00a0highest losses<\/a>\u00a0in U.S. history. Many opened their colonies in January that year and found that\u00a0more than 60%<\/a>\u00a0of their colonies had died \u2013 nearly\u00a01.7 million colonies<\/a>\u00a0nationwide. Beekeepers contacted Beltsville, and researchers quickly flew out to test affected colonies for pesticide residues, diseases and varroa mites, data that could help guide beekeepers\u2019 treatment response.<\/p>\n Entomologist Jay Evans explains what the Beltsville Bee Lab does and the diseases bees face.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A few weeks later, as the lab\u2019s scientists were working on the crisis, the Trump administration fired probationary researchers and staff at the bee labs, along with\u00a0thousands of other employees<\/a>\u00a0across the USDA. The Beltsville team was hobbled, and the remaining staff restricted from communicating with beekeepers.<\/p>\n Because of the communication lockdown, it took nearly six months for researchers to deliver\u00a0their findings<\/a>. By then, the season was over and beekeepers had been forced to navigate the crisis on their own.<\/p>\n The loss of bee colonies ultimately cost beekeepers\u00a0an estimated $600 million<\/a>\u00a0in lost honey production, pollination income and colony replacement costs \u2013 far more than the one-time projected costs to modernize the entire Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.<\/p>\n These losses can hit consumer pocketbooks too.<\/p>\n When beekeepers lose nearly half their operations, they often need to charge farmers more for pollination services to stay afloat. Those added costs\u00a0can ripple through the food system<\/a>\u00a0and affect what everyone pays for the fruits, vegetables and nuts that depend on pollinators.<\/p>\n The Beltsville Bee Lab closure is not an isolated case. The administration has proposed\u00a0eliminating<\/a>\u00a0the U.S. Geological Survey\u2019s Ecosystems Mission Area, a move that could defund the\u00a0USGS Bee Lab<\/a>, an essential resource for research on\u00a0native bees<\/a>.<\/p>\n It also plans to decommission\u00a016 USGS research centers<\/a>\u00a0nationwide, including the\u00a0Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center<\/a>\u00a0in North Dakota, the\u00a0highest honey-producing state<\/a>\u00a0in the nation. For decades, beekeepers have brought colonies to forage on grasslands in the region. Researchers have been tracking how the shift from grasslands to crops has affected honey bee health and\u00a0beekeeper revenue<\/a>.<\/p>\n The U.S. Forest Service also faces widespread cuts, including the planned closure of\u00a057 of its 77 research stations<\/a>\u00a0throughout the United States. Since the Forest Service manages over\u00a0193 million acres<\/a>\u00a0of federal lands that support native plants and pollinators, those closures could affect crucial pollinator habitat as well.<\/p>\n These closures risk a severe brain drain.<\/p>\n When the first Trump administration moved the USDA Economic Research Service from Washington to Kansas City, Missouri, in 2019, the agency\u00a0lost over 75%<\/a>\u00a0of its experienced research staff. A recent survey\u00a0suggests that history may repeat itself<\/a>. If the reorganization goes through, farmers and beekeepers will lose experts with decades of institutional and technical knowledge.<\/p>\n The Beltsville Bee Lab is a key part of the often-unappreciated federal research infrastructure that supports the health of pollinators and the nation\u2019s food supply.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/file-20260520-63-q6wyn2.png\")
Varroa mites are the leading source of stress on honey bees, affecting half of all colonies at times. Other major stressors affect large numbers of colonies as well. Farm Doc Daily\/University of Illinois.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/file-20260520-57-p63nle.png\")
\nBeekeepers often transport their bees across the country to meet pollination needs and produce honey at different times of year. The map shows the movement of bees out of California to other states in summer and fall.\u00a0Jennifer K. Bond, et al., USDA Economic Research Service, 2021<\/a>
\nMore cuts planned to US pollinator research<\/p>\n