Economics

A 2024 study tracking 64 hives found queen excluders had no effect on honey yield or brood production. So why do beekeepers call them 'honey excluders' and what's driving some operations to abandon them entirely?

Double brood boxes were the standard for a century. Now beekeepers across regions are consolidating to single-box systems - here's what changed and what the production data actually shows.

You can set up frames for 60 cents each or nearly $2 per frame. Both contain hexagonal cell patterns. Both work. So what's that extra $1.40 buying you?

Pollination services now generate more revenue than honey for US beekeepers. California's almond boom transformed the economics of beekeeping, with a single crop paying $165 per hive while honey production struggles with $3 wholesale prices.

The $600 million direct loss to beekeepers is just the beginning. Lost pollination for apples, blueberries, and cherries. Farmers scrambling for replacement bees. Operations closing permanently. The ripple effects extend far beyond the initial numbers.