Texas just set a grim record: the highest honeybee colony loss since national tracking began in 2010. Beekeepers across the state report losing 60–66% of their hives in 2024–2025, far beyond the already-alarming 30–50% that had become the “new normal.” Nationwide, losses topped 55.6%—the worst in U.S. history.

This isn’t just a beekeepers’ problem. Honeybees pollinate 75% of crops and add $16 billion in value to U.S. agriculture every year. When they collapse, so does our food system.

Today we’ll dig into:

• What’s killing the bees in Texas
  

• How it threatens regenerative farmers and ecosystems
  

• What local farmers and experts are saying
  

• How 2025 compares to past years and other states
  

What’s Behind Texas’s Bee Collapse?

Experts like Texas A&M’s Garett Slater agree, the crisis comes down to five converging pressures:

• 🕷️ Varroa mites & viruses: The #1 culprit. These parasites spread deadly viruses, and in 2025 they became more resistant to treatments.
  

• ☠️ Pesticide exposure: Sublethal doses from industrial farming and landscaping weaken bees’ immunity.
  

• 🌾 Habitat loss & poor forage: Texas monocropping and urban sprawl strip bees of diverse food sources.
  

• 🌡️ Extreme weather: Droughts, heatwaves, and late freezes in Texas magnify the damage.
  

• 👑 Failing queens: Colonies collapse faster when queens fail under stress.

Why It Matters for Regenerative Farmers

For regenerative farmers, this is more than a pollination problem—it’s a system shock.

• Crop productivity: Melons, pumpkins, berries, and even cotton (a major Texas crop) rely on bees. Without them, yields drop 15–25% or more.
  

• Economic hit: Beekeepers renting hives for pollination lost revenue, while farmers face higher costs or outright shortages of bees. In California alone, unmet almond pollination cost growers $428 million.
  

• Ecosystem collapse: Bees aren’t just crop pollinators—they sustain wildflowers, cover crops, and biodiversity. A pollinator crash means weaker soils, fewer beneficial insects, and less resilient farmland.
  

In short: when the bees go, the regenerative promise of diverse, resilient agriculture goes with them.

What Farmers and Beekeepers Are Saying

• Robert Wheeler, Frio Country Farms (Texas): Lost two-thirds of his 3,000 hives: “I just don’t really know why, but it sounds scary.”
  

• Blake Shook, veteran Texas beekeeper: Warns that if 70% losses become the norm, “we may hit a point of no return.”
  

• Garrett Slater, Texas A&M: Calls bee loss an “agriculture and food security challenge”—one of the steepest declines ever seen.
  

Beekeepers and regenerative growers are pleading for urgent change: more forage habitat, reduced pesticide use, and investment in mite-resistant bee genetics.

Texas vs. Past Years and Other States

• Texas 2025: 60–66% loss (record high).
  

• Texas previous years: 30–50% loss was typical. In 2023, Texas lost ~40–50%.
  

• U.S. 2025 average: 55.6% (worst national loss since tracking began).
  

• State variation: Some states saw ~34% losses, others over 90%. Texas ranked among the worst.
  

The takeaway? Texas isn’t alone—but as a pollination hub (supplying hives to states like California), its collapse ripples across the U.S. food system.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The solutions aren’t corporate chemicals—they’re regenerative principles:

• 🌻 Plant pollinator-friendly cover crops, hedgerows, and wildflower strips.
  

• 🚫 Reduce or eliminate pesticide use.
  

• 🐝 Support local beekeepers breeding resilient, mite-resistant bees.
  

• 🤝 Connect regenerative farmers with beekeepers for habitat + pollination partnerships.
  

The crisis is dire, but it’s also a rallying call. By defending pollinators, we defend the future of food freedom.