US beekeeping report in 2021

Professional beekeeping is widespread in all countries that have vegetation. The United States is also one of the countries that has its own beekeeping. Knowing the American society and their interests can help the beekeepers of other countries, including Iran, to get to know the market opportunities and also the taste of the people of the target country. We present a general perspective of this industry in the United States.

14% decrease in honey production in 2021

US Honey Production in 2021 US honey production in 2021 totaled 126 million pounds, a 14 percent decrease from 2020. In 2021, 2.7 million colonies produced honey, which is slightly lower than in 2020. Yield per colony averaged 469 pounds, down from 54.5 pounds in 2020. Colonies producing honey in more than one state were counted in each state where honey was produced. Thus, yield per colony may be underestimated at the US level, but total production will not be affected. If honey was not harvested, colonies were not included. Honey stocks produced on December 15, 2021, were 23.5 million pounds, down 41% from the previous year. Stock held by producers does not include stock held under the commodity loan program.

21% increase in the price of honey in 2021

US honey prices rose 21% to $2.54 per pound during 2021, compared to $2.10 per pound in 2020. US and state-level prices reflect portions of honey sold through cooperatives, private channels, and retail. Prices for each color class are obtained by weighing the quantities sold for each marketing channel. Two thousand twenty crop prices reflect honey sold in 2020 and 2021. Some of the 2020 crop honey was sold in 2021, which led to revisions in 2020 product prices.

The price paid per queen was $20 in 2021

The average prices in 2021 were $20, $91, and $125 for the queen bee, packages, and tips, respectively. Pollination revenue for 2021 was $269 million, up six percent from 2020. Other bee revenues in 2021 were $102 million, an 82 percent increase over 2020.

Published August 2, 2021, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Center for Agricultural Statistics, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Colonies, average production per colony, production, apiaries, price in the United States in 2021

A review of the history of beekeeping - January 1st

Honey bee colonies for operations with five or more colonies up two percent. Bee colonies for operations with five or more colonies in the United States totaled 2.92 million colonies on January 1, 2021, a two percent increase from January 1, 2020. . The number of colonies in the United States on April 1, 2021, was 2.86 million colonies. In 2020, honey bee colonies on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 were 2.88 million, 2.97 million, 3.18 million, and 3.14 million, respectively.

Honey bee colonies lost due to operations with five or more colonies from January to March 2021 were 372,630 colonies or 13 percent. The number of colonies lost during the April-June 2021 quarter was 255,860 colonies or nine percent. During the October-December 2020 quarter, lost colonies totaled 484,920 colonies, or 15 percent, the highest number lost in any quarter reviewed in 2020. The quarter under review in 2020 with the lowest number of lost colonies was April to June, with 300,990 colonies. Lost or 10% of bee colonies for operations with five or more colonies from January to March 2021 added 308,530 colonies. The number of colonies added during the April-June 2021 quarter was 677,690. During the April-June 2020 quarter, the number of colonies added was 536,170, the highest number of honey bee colonies for any quarter reviewed in 2020.

In the October-December 2020 quarter, 271,500 colonies were added, the lowest number of honey bee colonies for any season reviewed in 2020. Honey bee colonies restored to operations with five colonies or more from January to March 2021 were 156,270 colonies or five percent. Between April to June 2021, the number of restored colonies was 480,380 or 17%. The quarter under review in 2020 with the highest number of colonies restored was from April to June, with 626,870 colonies restored or 21%. The quarter under review in 2020 with the lowest number of colonies restored was October to December 2020, with 128,990 or four percent. Reconstructed colonies are those that received new bees through an envelope or hive.

Varroa mites are the top colony stressors for beekeeping with five or more colonies

Varroa was the number one stressor for beekeeping, with five or more colonies in all seasons surveyed in 2020. The period with the highest percentage of colonies reported to be affected by varroa mites was July through September 2020, with 55.7%. The rate of colonies reported to be affected by varroa mites during January-March 2021, and April-June 2021 is 31.3% and 48.7%, respectively.

27% reduction in lost colonies with symptoms of colony collapse disorder for subneurodes with five or more colonies

Bee losses with colony collapse disorder symptoms were similar in 2020.

US per capita consumption, 2021

We calculate this figure each year using data from USDA ERS, NASS, ERS, FARM SERVICE, and the US Census Bureau. From these sources, we determine how much honey entered the system, how much honey left the system, how much was used, how much was not used, and the population on July 1, 2021. These figures include US production and exports. The United States is honey. Under and outside the loan program, honey remained in storage, plus how much was imported from offshore. Basically, this is the measure of honey minus honey. The resulting figure, divided by the number of people here on that particular date, results in how much honey was consumed by each person in the United States last year. And yes, you're right, not every person eats honey, but by producing this figure annually, the chart below compares these figures for the past 12 years. We've also included USDA total honey prices for comparison.

Honey imports to the United States, 2020

According to the USDA, American beekeepers with more than five colonies produced 147.6 million pounds of honey in 2020. The Honey Board calculates that an additional eight million pounds or more were produced by those with fewer than five colonies for a total production of 155 million pounds. Other honey in the figures includes 40.9 million pounds taken out of storage since last year, 4.8 million pounds from last year's loan program, and 134.5 million pounds imported, for a total of 513 million pounds of honey imported in 2021. According to USDA figures, honey sells for an average of $2.41 per pound in wholesale, retail, and specialty honey. Commercial beekeepers in the US will tell you to make a living; it should be about the same price as diesel fuel. Take a look next time you're at the gas station.

Honey exports from the United States, 2020

We have exported nearly 10.7 million pounds of honey to other countries, almost 40 million pounds are still in storage, and we have lent out just under five million, for a total of about 58 million pounds. Honey produced in 2021 exported from US cultivars in 2021.

The population on July 1, 2021, was exactly 332 million in the United States, so to calculate per capita consumption, subtract honey (lent, exported, or still in storage) from honey (honey produced this year, leftover from last year) and turn it down. Or imported) and divided by 332 million, for a total of 477 million pounds consumed in the United States last year. Divide that by 332 million people, which gives you about 1.4 pounds of honey consumed by each person in the United States during 2021, the lowest amount since 2012.

These figures show different categories of imported honey, the amount of each, and its value. The price of comb honey for direct retail sale is the closest to the US price, while very light amber honey, very common honey, is much lower. US honey producers are at $2.54 a pound, while imports are at $2.41. You'll see income problems for US beekeepers elsewhere, and good reason.

Top 10 honey producing states

The places that produce the most honey yearly are determined mainly by climate, soil, agriculture, and politics. What crops do or don't grow in an area will undoubtedly play a role in what you can find in terms of nectar, pesticides, and regulations than how many colonies you can get on any given acre that won't starve to death after a few months. Of course, government conservation programs help here as well.We've been curious about this for the last eight years because it's interesting to see what changes and what doesn't. The Dakotas, California, Montana, Florida, Minnesota, Michigan, and Texas are almost always in the top eight. The last two groups change from time to time: New York, Louisiana, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, and maybe a few others round out these performers. doThere were few surprises this year regarding who made a list, and this year's top 10 totals were determined by the number of colonies counted in these states and the amount of honey produced. Again, these states produced 71 percent of all honey in the United States, and 72 percent of all U.S. colonies were located within their borders. What happens in these few states determines the product of the United States.

But, just because we can, this year, we looked at the contributions of the top three states, the Dakotas and California, almost every year. Together, they maintained 40 percent of the colonies used last year and produced just under 40 percent of the honey that American beekeepers produced last year. Of course, 60% of the colonies and 60% of the US honey crop are scattered across the remaining 47 states. You can see that this amounts to less than 1% of the state. That kind of puts us in our place. This extreme imbalance looks at what happens when climate change disrupts weather patterns in these three states: rainfall, summer and winter temperatures, agricultural practices, and conservation practices.

Currently, drought in the western third of the United States is affecting bees, their forage, and the crops they pollinate. Like it or not, we're in the significant weather - call it climate change or whatever - it's dry out there!

Source: Beekeeping culture