An Empty Hive

Apiary

Maryam Henein (currently creating a CCD documentary) wrote in The Daily Green blog that the largest beekeeper in the US has been stricken by CCD. Nearly 40,000 hives, moved to holding yards in California for almond pollination, are now empty.

Photo Courtesy of Sean Kochel, Beekeeper Kochel Apiaries, Montana

Colony Collapse Disorder is detrimental to flower and crop growth, honey production, and the livelihood of beekeepers. In fact, honeybees offer so many different gifts, there are a number of important things at stake. From pollination to products from the honeybee hive, bees are some of our Earth's greatest providers.

BeekeeperHives

Many beekeepers move their hives in order to pollinate local crops. Moving hives can be a stressor domesticated honeybees face, thus weakening their immune systems.

Photo Courtesy of Peter de Bruyn Kops, Beekeeper, New Hampshire

Beekeepers can keep bees for profit. Apiaries can be large-scale businesses, to get high yields of honey for business. Beekeeping can also be done on a small scale, for the pure enjoyment of the hobby.

Beekeepers can strategically place colonies to pollinate crops in the area for which farmers pay a fee.

Africa
Algeria	Beekeepers-78,000 Beehives-1,300,000 plus 35,000 traditional Honey Production per hive-8kg
Botswana	Beekeepers-800 Beehives-2,000 Honey Production per hive-20kg
Cameroon	Beekeepers-13,000 Beehives-63,000 Honey Production-15kg per hive
Egypt	Beekeepers-20,000 Beehives-2,000,000 Production of Honey-10K per hive Exported Honey-5,000T
Lesotho	Beekeepers-300 Beehives-500 Production of honey-30kg per hive
Morocco	Beekeepers-27,000- Beehives-340,000- Honey Production-25kg per hive
Nigeria	Beekeepers-120,000 Beehives-600,000 Honey Production-22kg per hive Export-1,500T
Swaziland	Beekeepers-1,500 Beehives-4,500 Honey Production-5kg per hive
Tunisia	Beekeepers-15,000 Beehives-150,000 Honey Production-10kg per hive Export-50T
Yemen	Beekeepers-16,500 Beehives-1,001,025 Honey Production-6kg per hive Export-350T

Asia
Bangladesh	Beekeepers-3,000 Beehives-30,000 Honey Production per hive-40kg
China	Beekeepers-600,000 Beehives-7,000,000 Honey Production per hive-50kg
India	Beekeepers-150,000 Beehives-600,000 Production of honey-8.5kg per hive Export-750T
Indonesia	Beekeepers-1,000 Beehives-50,000 Production of honey-25kg per hive Exported-100T
Iran	Beekeepers-49,000 Beehives-2,750,000 Production of honey-10kg per hive Export-2.150 T
Japan	Beekeepers-7,235- Beehives-214,112 Production of honey-3,265T
Malaysia	Beekeepers150 Beehives-3,000 Honey Production-7kg a hive
New Caledonia	Beekeepers-150 Beehives-2,100 Honey Production-25kg per hive Export-1T
New Zealand	Beekeepers-5,306 Beehives-286,806 Honey Production-8,610T
Philippines	Beekeepers-500 Beehive-8,000 Honey Production-15kg
South Korea	Beekeepers-41,462 Beehives-696,562 Honey Production-12kg per hive Export-10T
Taiwan	Beekeepers-500 Beehives-300,000 Honey Production-30kg per hive
Vietnam	Beekeepers-18,000 Beehives-123,000 Honey Production-20kg per hive Export-1,629T

Europe
Albania	Beekeepers-5,000 Beehives-90,000 Honey Production per hive-17kg
Austria	Beekeepers-25,816 Beehives-343,062 Honey Production per hive-15kg
Belgium	Beekeepers-8,600 Beehives-101,600 Honey Production-12kg per hive
Bulgaria	Beekeepers-45,000 Beehives-450,000 Honey Production-20kg per hive
Georgia	Beekeepers-14,380 Beehives-184,600 Production of honey-12kg per hive Exported honey-50T
Poland	Beekeepers-45,000 Beehives-796,000 Honey Production-15kg per hive Export-200T
Germany	Beekeepers-89,216 Beehives-865,977 Production of Honey-40kg per hive
Greece	Beekeepers-23,500 Beehives-1,274,136 Production of honey-25.8kg per hive
Portugal	Beekeepers-32,500 Beehives-655,000 Honey Production-25kg per hive Export-729T
Hungary	BeeKeepers-16,000 Beehives-850,000 Production of honey-30kg per hive Export-15,000T
Ireland	Beekeepers-2,100 Beehives-22,000 Production of honey-12kg per hive
Croatia	Beekeepers:7,00 Beehives-70,000 Production of honey-1,400T
Italy	Beekeepers ;75,000 Beehives-1,200,000 Production of honey-20kg per hive Export-20T
Czech Republic	Beekeepers-61,428 Beehives-564,981 production of honey-12kg per hive Export-1,168T
Latvia	Beekeepers-3,000 Beehives-54,000 Production of honey-18kg per hives
Denmark	Beekeepers-4,000 Beehives-150,000 Product in of honey-2,500T
Luxembourg	Beekeepers-471 Beehives-8,083 Honey Production-NA
Lithuania	Beekeepers-3,421 Beehives-41,000 Honey Production-15kg per hive
Finland	Beekeepers-3,500 Beehives-50,000 Production of honey-40kg per hive
Macedonia	Beekeepers-10,000 Beehives-62,578 Honey Production-21kg per hive Export-40T
Sweden
France	Beekeepers:84,480 Beehives-1,370,220 Production of Honey per hive- 22kg Export-3000T
Norway	Beekeepers-4,000 Beehives-80,000 Honey Production-25kg per hive Export-50T
Romania	Beekeepers-80,000 Beehives-2,600,000 Honey Production-15kg per hive
Serbia	Beekeepers-12,000 Beehives-350,000 Honey Production-17.3kg per hive Export-200T
Slovakia	Beekeepers-20,000 Beehives-264,000 Honey Production-10kg per hive Export-1,400T
Slovenia	Beekeepers-9,500 Beehives-165,000 Honey Production-16.6kg per hive Export-300T
Spain	Beekeepers25,000 Beehives-1,800,000 Honey Production-18kg per hive Export-9,470T
Sweden	Beekeepers-14,00 Beehives-120,000 Honey Production-32kg per hive
Switzerland	Beekeepers-19,300 Beehives-192,000 Honey Production-12.5kg per hive Export-317T
Ukraine	Beekeepers-50,000 Beehives-3,000,000 Honey Production-15kg per hive Export-15,000T

North America
Canada	Beekeepers-13,000 Beehives-500,000 Honey Production-66kg per hive
Cuba	Beekeepers-2,000 Beehives-not reported Production of honey- 35kg per hive Exported honey-6,000T
Mexico	Beekeepers-45,000 Beehives-2,000,000 Honey Production-25kg per hive Export-30,000T
Puerto Rico	Beekeepers-600 Beehives-7,000 Honey Production-317T
Quebec	Beekeepers-324 Beehives-35,000 Honey Production-69kg per hive
United States	Beekeepers-125,000 Beehives-3,030,000 Honey Production-30kg per hive

South America
Argentina	Beekeepers-18,000 Beehives-1,800,000-2,000,000 Honey Production-35-40kg per hive
Brazil	Beekeepers-300,000 Beehives-2,500,000 Honey Production-20kg per hive
Chile	Beekeepers-1,800 Beehives-450,000 Honey Production-35kg per hive
Columbia	Beekeepers-2,570 Beehives-86,400 Honey Production-35kg per hive
El Salvador	Beekeepers-800 Beehives-150,000 Honey Production-25kg per hive Export-2,500T
Guatemala	Beekeepers-1,500 Beehives-40,000 Production of honey-35kg per hive Exported honey-1200T
Honduras	Beekeepers-400 Beehives-26,000 Bees hives used for pollination-20,000 Honey production-10kg per hive
Nicaragua	Beekeeper-900 Beehives-20,000 Honey Production-40kg per hive Export-160T
Paraguay	Beekeepers-7,000 Beehives-35,000 Honey Production-30kg per hive
Uruguay	Beekeepers-2,000 Beehives-200,000 Honey Production-35kg per hive Export-7,000T
Venezuela	Beekeepers-2,000 Beehives-20,000 Honey Production-20kg per hive Export-21T


References
CCD: University of Florida	Mid-Atlantic Apiculture: CCD
Virus May Be Cause of Honeybees' Deaths	Apple Production
Stress and Honeybees	Honey Production


Photo Sources
All photos are credited above.
All graphics created by team members.

Australia
Australia	Beekeepers-6,300 Beehives-673,000 Honey Production per hive-39kg