Week in review: October 26–30, 2026
A blueberry feed-supplement pilot, where colony losses stand, the latest USDA colony counts and a UK study on honey bees and wild pollinators.
- Feeding after blueberry pollination. A Washington State University pilot on 30 colonies found larger cluster counts with an entrance-fed supplement; the authors call it preliminary, and two of them work for the maker. WSU
- Where losses stand. The 2025-26 national survey (preliminary, 2,327 beekeepers) puts annual losses at 39.9%, with backyard beekeepers losing 54.8% and commercial operations 38.7%. Apiary Inspectors of America
- Colony counts. USDA’s latest Honey Bee Colonies report counted 2.84 million colonies on April 1, 2026, with 11% lost from April to June; Varroa was again the leading reported stressor. USDA NASS
- Honey bees and wild pollinators. In England, Anglia Ruskin University linked more honey bees with fewer bumblebees on bramble and fewer solitary bees and hoverflies on ivy, an association rather than proof of cause. ARU