How to Read the USDA Honey Bee Colonies Report — Colony Counts, Losses, Stressors and CCD
USDA NASS Honey Bee Colonies (August 3, 2026), operations with five or more colonies: 2.81 million colonies on January 1, 2026 (+6%); 16% lost in January-March, 11% in April-June.
Key figures (Honey Bee Colonies, August 2026)
As of 2 November 2026, 00:54 KST; most recently published report: Honey Bee Colonies from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), with quarterly colony counts, losses, additions, renovations, health stressors and Colony Collapse Disorder losses for operations with five or more colonies, from January 2025 through June 2026, for 20 states and the United States. The publication listing and the NASS release-day page show August 3, 2026; the sources used give no time of day, and the publication page, which lists the report as annual, showed no next date when checked. Primary source: https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796006/hcny0726.txt[1][2][3]
| Indicator (United States, operations with five or more colonies) | Previous (previous quarter) | Current (latest quarter) | Change vs previous | Change vs year ago (same quarter of 2025) | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonies on January 1 (number) | 2,954,950 (October 1, 2025) | 2,805,370 (January 1, 2026) | -5.1% (calculated) | 2,639,300; up 6% (published); +6.3% (calculated) | levels and published change: USDA NASS primary statistical record; calculated %: this page's calculation |
| Colonies on April 1 (number) | 2,805,370 (January 1, 2026) | 2,841,280 (April 1, 2026) | +1.3% (calculated) | 2,876,810; -1.2% (calculated) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record; calculated changes: this page's calculation |
| Colonies lost, April-June 2026 (number; percent lost) | 454,890; 16% (January-March 2026) | 321,910; 11% | -29.2% (calculated) | 302,100; 11%; +6.6% (calculated) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record; calculated changes: this page's calculation |
| Colonies added, April-June 2026 (number) | 464,320 (January-March 2026) | 619,850 | +33.5% (calculated) | 561,090; +10.5% (calculated) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record; calculated changes: this page's calculation |
| Colonies renovated, April-June 2026 (number; percent renovated) | 215,440; 8% (January-March 2026) | 507,890; 18% | +135.7% (calculated) | 514,790; 18%; -1.3% (calculated) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record; calculated changes: this page's calculation |
| Colonies affected by varroa mites, April-June 2026 (percent, stressor table) | 21.8 (January-March 2026) | 22.2 | +0.4 points (calculated) | 26.3; -4.1 points (calculated) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record; calculated changes: this page's calculation |
| Colonies lost with Colony Collapse Disorder symptoms, April-June 2026 (number) | 93,770 (January-March 2026) | 58,350 | -37.8% (calculated) | 53,710; +8.6% (calculated) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record; calculated changes: this page's calculation |
Comparison basis: levels are numbers of colonies and percentages as printed in the tables; the text rounds them (for example, 2,805,370 becomes 2.81 million). Published percentages are whole numbers, and stressor shares are printed to one decimal. This page's calculated changes are rounded half up to one decimal from the table levels; varroa differences are in percentage points. 2025 quarters are as printed in this report, which NASS says can revise the previous year. The report, publication page and release-day page are all from USDA and count as one source.[1]
In three lines
1. The annual NASS report gives quarterly counts of colonies on the first of each quarter, and colonies lost, added and renovated during each quarter, for operations with five or more colonies.
2. Colonies on January 1, 2026 totaled 2.81 million, up 6% from a year earlier; 16% were lost in January-March and 11% in April-June.
3. Varroa mites were the most reported stressor; Colony Collapse Disorder losses in January-March 2026 were 93,770, down 18% from a year earlier.[1]
What the report says (in NASS's words)
"Honey bee colonies for operations with five or more colonies in the United States on January 1, 2026 totaled 2.81 million colonies, up 6 percent from January 1, 2025." "The number of colonies in the United States on April 1, 2026, was 2.84 million colonies." "Honey bee colonies lost for operations with five or more colonies from January through March 2026, was 454,890 colonies, or 16 percent." "The number of colonies lost during the quarter of April through June 2026, was 321,910 colonies, or 11 percent." "The number of colonies added during the quarter of April through June 2026 was 619,850."[1]
What the terms mean. A lost colony is defined as "A completely failed colony, loss of most workers, and possibly the queen." An added colony is "A new or replacement, surviving colony that was either created or purchased whole by an operation." "Renovated colonies are those that were requeened or received new honey bees through a nucleus (nuc) colony or package."[1]
Stressors and Colony Collapse Disorder. "Varroa mites were the number one stressor for operations with five or more colonies during all quarters surveyed in 2025." "Honey bee colonies lost with Colony Collapse Disorder symptoms on operations with five or more colonies was 93,770 colonies from January through March 2026." "This represents a 18 percent decrease from the same quarter in 2025." A loss counts as Colony Collapse Disorder only if it meets all four criteria listed in the report, including that it is not attributable to varroa or nosema loads.[1]
Where the data come from. "Data for operations with honey bee colonies are collected quarterly from a stratified sample of operations that responded as having five or more honey bee colonies on the Bee and Honey Inquiry and from the NASS list frame." The publication page adds: "For operations with five or more colonies, data was collected on a quarterly basis; operations with less than five colonies were collected with an annual survey." The text release read here contains tables only for operations with five or more colonies.[1][2]
Reading in pairs
Text vs stressor table (varroa). The text says: "The percent of colonies reported to be affected by varroa mites during January through March 2026 and April through June 2026 are 21.8 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively." The April-June 2026 stressor table shows 22.2 percent for the United States, while 26.3 percent is the United States value in the April-June 2025 table. The January-March 2026 figure of 21.8 percent matches its table. This page uses the table value in the key figures; in this report, no explanation of the difference is provided.[1]
State percent vs national percent. "The state-level percentage of colonies lost is the number of colonies lost in that state divided by the maximum colonies for that state." "The national level percentage of colonies lost is the total number of all colonies lost in the United States divided by the number of colonies on the first of the quarter." "Colonies are counted in every state they were in during the quarter; therefore, a national level maximum number of colonies cannot be calculated due to duplication." State loss rates and the U.S. loss rate therefore use different bases. California had 885,000 colonies on January 1, 2026, 31.5% of the U.S. count (this page's calculation), but 1,250,000 maximum colonies in January-March, because maximum colonies include those moved into the state.[1]
Stressors vs losses. "State level colony health stressors for operations with five or more colonies are the percent of the maximum colonies reported to be affected, by quarter." "The national level colony stressors is the summed number for the United States divided by the number of colonies on the first of the quarter." The tables note that a colony may be affected by multiple stressors in a quarter, so the stressor columns do not add up to a total, and a stressor share is not a share of lost colonies; the report does not connect stressors to losses.[1]
Losses and additions vs the next quarter's count. 2,805,370 colonies on January 1, minus 454,890 lost and plus 464,320 added, gives 2,814,800 (this page's calculation), 26,480 below the April 1 count of 2,841,280. Colonies moved between states do not change the U.S. count, and NASS says "National and State survey data were reviewed for reasonableness with each other and estimates from the previous quarters using a balance sheet." In this report, no published reconciliation of the quarter-start counts is provided, so this page does not interpret the gap.[1]
Revision and error. "The previous year's estimates are subject to revision when current year's estimates are made." "Revisions are the result of late reports or corrected data." "Since all operations with honey bees are not included in the sample, survey estimates are subject to sampling variability." NASS also notes non-sampling errors that cannot be measured directly. In this report, no numeric sampling error measure is provided, so changes between quarters or years cannot be tested for significance from this report.[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
Honey bee colonies for U.S. operations with five or more colonies totaled 2.81 million on January 1, 2026, up 6 percent from January 1, 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
U.S. operations with five or more colonies lost 454,890 colonies, or 16 percent, in January through March 2026.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
U.S. operations with five or more colonies lost 321,910 colonies, or 11 percent, in April through June 2026.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Colonies lost with Colony Collapse Disorder symptoms in January through March 2026 totaled 93,770, an 18 percent decrease from the same quarter in 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Varroa mites were the number one colony stressor for operations with five or more colonies in all quarters surveyed in 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
Colonies added in April-June 2026 (619,850) were 10.5% more than in April-June 2025 (561,090).[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from the Honey Bee Colonies report
The text gives 26.3% of colonies affected by varroa mites in April-June 2026, while the April-June 2026 stressor table shows 22.2%.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's reading of the Honey Bee Colonies report
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- Why were January-March 2026 losses higher than a year earlier?
- Which April-June 2026 varroa figure is intended, 22.2% in the table or 26.3% in the text?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 11/02/2026, 00:54
- Body characters
- 8,809
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 11/02/2026, 01:03
- Verdict
- Passed
Show revision history (2)
| 11/02/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 11/02/2026 | First version. Read in full the USDA NASS Honey Bee Colonies report of August 2026, including all six quarterly colony tables, all six stressor tables, the Colony Collapse Disorder table, terms and definitions and methodology, plus the publication page and the NASS Reports by Release Day page; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How many honey bee colonies were in the United States on January 1, 2026?
2.81 million (2,805,370 in the table) for operations with five or more colonies, up 6% from January 1, 2025, according to the NASS Honey Bee Colonies report of August 3, 2026. On April 1, 2026 the count was 2.84 million.[1]
What share of U.S. honey bee colonies were lost in 2026?
16% in January-March 2026 (454,890 colonies) and 11% in April-June 2026 (321,910 colonies), for operations with five or more colonies. The U.S. percent is lost colonies divided by colonies on the first of the quarter.[1]
What is the top stressor for honey bee colonies?
Varroa mites, reported for 21.8% of colonies in January-March 2026 and 22.2% in April-June 2026 in the stressor tables. The text gives 26.3% for April-June 2026, which is the value in the April-June 2025 table; a colony can have several stressors at once.[1]
Why is there no national maximum colonies figure?
The 2026 tables print (X) for the U.S. maximum because colonies are counted in every state they were in during a quarter, so a national total would double count. For the same reason, state loss rates use maximum colonies and the U.S. rate uses colonies on the first of the quarter.[1]
Does the report cover beekeepers with fewer than five colonies?
The 2026 text release read here has tables only for operations with five or more colonies. The publication page says operations with less than five colonies were collected with an annual survey.[1][2]
How many colonies were lost with Colony Collapse Disorder symptoms?
93,770 in January-March 2026, 18% fewer than the 114,680 in the same quarter of 2025, and 58,350 in April-June 2026. A loss counts only if it meets all four criteria in the report.[1]
Does the 2026 honey bee report give a sampling error?
No: the 2026 report says the estimates are subject to sampling variability but gives no numeric measure of it. Changes between quarters therefore cannot be tested for significance from this report.[1]