The combination of adverse weather and the ongoing colony collapse disorder of honey bees contributed to sharply lower honey yields and record low honey production in 2009. U.S. honey production declined by 12 percent or nearly 20 million pounds to 144 million pounds from 2008. Despite the 5.1-percent increase in the national number of honey-producing colonies in 2009, yield per colony fell by more than 16 percent on average. Double-digit production declines in 7 out of 10 major honey-producing States were closely matched by similar drops in yield ....

2009 was a terrible year to be in the honey business. Bee Culture’s unofficial poll last fall came up with a crop estimate of 119 million pounds, produced by 2,223,000 colonies. The USDA on Friday released their figures. Though higher than ours at 144,108,000 million pounds of honey, it is still the worst honey crop on record. Ever. USDA figures showed a colony count of 2,462,000…a couple hundred thousand higher than our guesstimate ....

The honey bee crisis in the U.S. continues to threaten the U.S. food supply. Bad weather in the Midwest and East this summer and fall seriously impacted the health of a significant number of hives over the winter, adding to the already difficult problem of keeping the bees alive. The shortage is sending almond farmers scrambling to find enough hives to pollinate the almond orchards in California this month. With colony losses at approximately 30 percent over the last several winters, it is not surprising that fewer and fewer colonies are available.

Not only is the honey bee endangered, so too are the caretakers of our petite pollinators. Today, the average age of a commercial beekeeper is 60 years old. Beekeeping is a dying art that needs to be sustained and supported ....

It is possible, says Barbara Melera, owner of the oldest seed house in the country, D. Landreth Seeds of New Freedom, Pa.

"In 2009, we had the worst growing season in 50 years," she said. Rain and disease destroyed crops and with them, the seeds for next year's garden. ....

The researchers at the university’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences say while the bees ruined domestic hives and damaged profits in South and Central American when they arrived in 1956, the analysis shows little or no impact on North American honey production.

Charles Moss, one of the analysts behind the report and a professor in the department of food and resource economics, says a more pressing economic concern for beekeepers is colony collapse disorder ....

A recent research study has sparked the National Honey Board to refocus its marketing efforts for 2010, adding new programs and reformatting existing ones.

According to the 2009 Honey Attitude and Usage Study, current users of honey below the age of 45 have dropped significantly since 2006. This 27 percent decrease poses an opportunity for the National Honey Board to delve into other marketing avenues, like social media, to reach new and younger audience ....