ESCANABA — Honey bees are essential to our food supply. Unfortunately bee colony numbers have declined across the country from 5 million to 2 million since the 1950’s.

“One in three people rely on honey bees to live,” said Upper Peninsula long-time Beekeeper Joel Lantz. “Lots of food we enjoy and depend on need pollinators. You don’t have pollinators, you don’t have food.”

Lantz has been in touch with other beekeepers across the Upper Peninsula, and in general, hives have lost 40% of bees between April 2019 to April 2020.

“Locally the percentage is around 20%,” said Lantz. “We have many micro climates in the U.P. that affect the percentages, but in general it is 40%. The bee loss is typically due to the varroa mites. They are hard to get rid of, but harsh chemicals can do the trick. Organic compounds can also be used.”

Twenty years ago the honey bee population decreased due to the invasive varroa mites.

“The population took a big dive with the mites and then the bees were even more weakened with the combination of poor nutrition and pesticides,” said Lantz. “Bees are like people. Eventually their immune systems cannot fight the various viruses.”

The decline in bee populations is attributed to pesticides, industrial farming, diseases, parasites, climate change, changes to a bees habitat, and mites. All the conditions attacking the honey bee can put potential immune-suppressing stress on bees. The mentioned causes can combine to cause colony collapse disorder, a situation where worker bees leave a hive with the queen and young in it. Hives need worker bees to survive.

A recently named honey bee predator is the Asian Giant Hornet, native to temperate and subtropical areas of Eastern and South Eastern Asia. Experts say though five hornets have been identified in Washington near the Canadian border and on Vancouver Island in Canada, the hornets probably won’t make it to the U.P.

“There have been a couple reports of them out west, but they’re probably not going to come here to the northern climates,” said Lantz.

The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) monitors and reports invasive species before they become established.

Beekeeper Jessica LaMarch is the president of the Bay de Noc Beekeeping Club. When she first started the club 75 people were at the first meeting. It meets the last Wednesday of every month, in club members’ bee yards, where they inspect hives. Members help other beekeepers and people who are thinking about becoming a beekeeper.

“We look over a hive and see what problems people might be having,” said LaMarch. “The last meeting we met at a couple’s hive house.”

Talking about beekeeping is therapeutic to LaMarch. She has learned her way of beekeeping over four years.

“About 10 years ago I watched a documentary on beekeeping … when we moved back to the U.P. my husband had his livestock, and I had my bees. The first year I decided to let them do their own thing, that was not good. They left,” said LaMarch. “I wanted to go chemical-free.”

Through the years she has learned to feed bees sugar water in the spring and help the bees overwinter, successfully live from October to April.

LaMarch couldn’t answer if the number of bees have gone down, she has read articles contradicting each other.

Support bees by growing plants pollinators like, and try not to use pesticides. Both of these actions could help keep food on the plate.

“The average homeowner should be mindful of what they put on their lawn and reluctant to use any pesticides. Landowners can plant a nice spot for bees and pollinators,” said Lantz. “In Marquette they turned yards into wildflower patches. It started with the ‘100 YARDen DASH’, it went well passed 100 yards. Other ways to support local beekeepers is to purchase local honey.”

Learn more about bees from Lantz on his website, upbees.weebly.com, and LaMarch, at the Bay de Noc Beekeeping Club, Facebook page.