Economic Effects and Responses to Changes in Honey Bee Health

by Peyton Ferrier, Randal R. Rucker, Walter N. Thurman, and Michael Burgett

Elevated losses in managed honey bee colonies since 2006 have raised concerns that food supply chains will suffer disruptions as pollination services become more costly and less available. This study provides an overview of the pollination services market and the mechanisms by which beekeepers, farmers, and retail food producers adjust to increasing scarcity in the pollination services market.

Errata: On May 15, 2018, the report Economic Effects and Responses to Changes in Honey Bee Health was revised to correct the following errors: Table 1 real honey price was incorrectly stated as being in terms of dollars per pound and is corrected to read “(cents/pound).” The Figure 1 title was corrected to read: “U.S. honey bee colonies since 1982.”

Keywords: pollination services fees, honey bees, cost of production, Colony Collapse Disorder

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