Honeybees being lost due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), an umbrella term for a number of factors considered to be taking lives of honeybees, are a matter that has been hugely debated. Steps have been taken to improve the number and it seems that efforts are paying results.

A new data by the US Department of Agriculture has shown that the number of managed honeybee colonies is increased. In 2014, the number has increased to 2.7 million, which is the highest in two decades.

Experts have affirmed that though improvements are being made, bees are losing their lives at unacceptable rates especially in Florida, Oklahoma and many other states bordering the Great Lakes. Ramesh Sagili from the Oregon State University Honey Bee Lab said that already, beekeepers were passing through a rough patch.

Declining number of beekeepers may lead to their extinction. A decline has been witnessed in the number of commercial beekeepers. Prof. Marla Spivak, from University of Minnesota said that there was a time when bee- keeping was an easy task. You just need to throw bees in a box and they will make honey and survive. But now, it takes a lot of management.

A number of factors are responsible for colony collapse, including Monocultural farming practices, diseases and pesticides and Varroa mite, which sucks bee blood and leaves open wounds.

Since the colony collapse disorder has been identified, beekeepers have been trying new measures including introducing new queens into queenless hives.