THE U.S. BEEKEEPING INDUSTRY IN PROFILE

Thumbnail Statistics

Beekeeping
	# 125,000 Beekeepers - Located in Every State
	# 2.4 Million Colonies of Bees
		Operated by Owners of 5 or More Colonies
	# Typical Commercial Beekeeper Operation - 1500 to 2500 Colonies
		- About 600 Beekeepers Operate 1,000 or More Colonies Each
		and as a Group Produce 75% of the U.S. Honey Crop
	# Annual Honey Production - average 210 million lbs.
	# Farm Value of Honey Crop - $180 million
	# U.S. Honey Consumption - About 1.1 lbs. per capita
	# Location of Most Beekeepers - Small Towns and Rural Areas
	# Employment - 2,400 Full Time and 6,100 Part-Time Employees

Pollination Activities
	# Added Value to 40 U.S. Crops - $10.7 billion (1985 value)
	# Unmeasured Benefits to Home Gardens and Wildlife Habitat 
	# One-third of Total U.S. Diet is Derived from 
		Insect-pollinated Plants.

Beekeepers' Sources of Revenue
	# Honey Production - $180 million 
	# Pollination Rentals - $55 million 
	# Sale of Package Bees and Queens - $27 million 
        # Sale of Beeswax, Pollen, and other Hive Products - $5 
	         million

Marketing Problems Facing U.S. Beekeepers
	# Lack of Reliable Information on Honey Markets
	# Imported Honey 
	# Competition from Honey Adulterated with Cheaper Sweeteners 
		Production Problems Facing U.S. Beekeepers
	# Parasitic Mites - Varroa (external) and Tracheal (internal) 
		- Endemic and with Limited, and Expensive Treatment Remedies 
	# Continuing Spread of Africanized Bees 
	# Loss of Bees to Pesticides Applied to Control Crop-Pests