Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
They may be small, but honeybees are one of the most powerful forces in American agriculture — responsible for pollinating billions of dollars worth of crops across the country every year. And Georgia has long been at the center of it all. Reporting from Watkinsville, John Holcomb visits UGA researcher Lewis Bartlett to find out why honeybee colonies are under serious threat — and what scientists are doing about it.
Georgia's role in the national beekeeping supply chain is larger than most people realize. As Bartlett explains, Georgia's climate allows beekeepers to build up large, healthy colonies earlier in the year than nearly anywhere else in the country — colonies that then travel to Maine, New England, Canada, California, and the central prairies to pollinate crops that couldn't otherwise be serviced. Historically, Georgia was the largest beekeeping state in the nation.
But that supply isn't guaranteed. In severe years, the U.S. has lost as many as 50 to 60 percent of its commercial honeybee population — a staggering figure with consequences felt far beyond the hive. And it's not just about colony numbers. The size and strength of those colonies matters enormously when they're being deployed to pollinate high-value commodity crops.
One of the biggest culprits here in Georgia is the small hive beetle — a remarkably cunning parasite that sneaks into colonies, mimics bee behavior to beg for food, and ultimately lays eggs that destroy entire hives from the inside out. The warm, humid Southeast is particularly vulnerable to this pest.
Bartlett and his team at the UGA lab are attacking the problem from every angle — conducting large-scale field studies, physically assessing colony health, counting parasites, and bringing individual bees into the lab to measure virus loads and behavioral responses. The goal is simple: keep Georgia's honeybees healthy, strong, and ready to do the work that feeds the nation.
They may be small, but honeybees are one of the most powerful forces in American agriculture — responsible for pollinating billions of dollars worth of crops across the country every year. And Georgia has long been at the center of it all. Reporting from Watkinsville, John Holcomb visits UGA researcher Lewis Bartlett to find out why honeybee colonies are under serious threat — and what scientists are doing about it.
Georgia's role in the national beekeeping supply chain is larger than most people realize. As Bartlett explains, Georgia's climate allows beekeepers to build up large, healthy colonies earlier in the year than nearly anywhere else in the country — colonies that then travel to Maine, New England, Canada, California, and the central prairies to pollinate crops that couldn't otherwise be serviced. Historically, Georgia was the largest beekeeping state in the nation.
But that supply isn't guaranteed. In severe years, the U.S. has lost as many as 50 to 60 percent of its commercial honeybee population — a staggering figure with consequences felt far beyond the hive. And it's not just about colony numbers. The size and strength of those colonies matters enormously when they're being deployed to pollinate high-value commodity crops.
One of the biggest culprits here in Georgia is the small hive beetle — a remarkably cunning parasite that sneaks into colonies, mimics bee behavior to beg for food, and ultimately lays eggs that destroy entire hives from the inside out. The warm, humid Southeast is particularly vulnerable to this pest.
Bartlett and his team at the UGA lab are attacking the problem from every angle — conducting large-scale field studies, physically assessing colony health, counting parasites, and bringing individual bees into the lab to measure virus loads and behavioral responses. The goal is simple: keep Georgia's honeybees healthy, strong, and ready to do the work that feeds the nation.
