Despite the struggle to save the honey bee population, the U.S. is showing a record number of colonies for the first time in decades.

Much of this growth is taking place in southern states like Texas, where massive honeybee colonies are needed by farmers to pollinate their produce crops, which are exported nationwide.

Across some northern states, bee keepers are keeping less colonies and their hives are more susceptible to colony loss due to parasites and extreme weather conditions.

In Ohio, the honey bee population decreased 51% between 2021 and 2022 due to colony loss, a higher rate than the national average at that time.
Beekeeper Susan Nutter says the current population of bees in Ohio appears to be growing and in stable condition, with increased interest in bee keeping by hobbyists and local business owners.

"There's so much more interest in pollinators, and more people that are becoming bee keepers," Nutter says. "And they don't just get bees, they take classes."

That educational interest can go far when working to preserve all sorts of bees, Nutter tells 21 News.

Native species of bees are not growing population size as quickly as the standard European honeybees, since native bees have different needs and behaviors.

"A lot of people would like to help bees, and the best way to do it is to plant for bees," Nutter adds.

Nutter and other volunteers including Lisbon Mayor Peter Wilson spent Wednesday morning preparing the county fairground's pollinator garden for the summer season.

The timing of the event, an intentional choice to prevent unnecessary disturbance to the garden's smallest residents.

"Pollinators use old debris to nest in. So if we just mowed the thing down or turned it under and just planted all new, we would decimate all the native pollinators who are using that garden," Nutter says.