Will commercial beekeeping survive the next 10 years? If you were starting a commercial operation from scratch today, would you still do it? In this episode of The Pollen Nation Podcast, we look at the business side of beekeeping: colony losses, almond pollination risk, scale, genetics and technology, and whether honey alone can pay the bills. The big idea is that having enough colonies isn’t the same as having enough financially sustainable beekeeping businesses to maintain them.

Sources mentioned:U.S. Beekeeping Survey, April 2025 to April 2026: https://www.apiaryinspectors.org/US-beekeeping-survey-25-26

Ecological Economics: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800924002489

USDA Honey Report, March 2026:https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/hony0326.pdf

Join the conversation: If you were starting a commercial beekeeping operation from scratch today, would you still do it? Tell me why or why not in the comments. I’d especially like to hear from beekeepers at different scales and in different parts of the country. Subscribe to The Pollen Nation Podcast for science based beekeeping education with a commercial focus. New episodes cover the science, economics, and realities of running bees for a living.

#beekeeping #commercialbeekeeping #honeybees #pollination #almondpollination #varroa #agriculture

My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/

Check out my weekly beekeeping vlog: www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog

You can also listen to the podcast on YouTube and all major podcast streaming platforms!

I share my thoughts on the U.S. and Canadian tariff war and how it impacts the beekeeping industry.

My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com

Check out my beekeeping vlog: www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog

Oxalic acid is sold at the hardware store as wood bleach. Beekeepers heat it into a gas and pump it directly into their hives to fight Varroa destructor. In this episode, we go deep on vaporized oxalic acid (OAV): where it came from, how it actually works at a biological level, and what the real research says.

My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/

Check out my beekeeping vlog: www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Links to the studies and extension resources referenced in this episode are at: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/2026/08/01/podcast-episode-show-notes-vaporized-oxalic-acid-for-varroa-mites-history-science-real-trade-offs/

You can listen to The Pollen Nation Podcast on YouTube too!

Subscribe for more evidence based beekeeping content. Got questions or a topic you want covered? Drop it in the comments.