What’s Behind the Massive U.S. Bee Die-off?

According to an extensive survey, 62 percent of all commercial honeybee colonies died between June 2024 and January 2025 (Science, June 30, 2025). This record-setting die-off followed the death of 55 percent of commercial colonies the previous winter. New research found that almost all the hives tested positive for viruses spread by the varroa mite, which has affected colonies worldwide since the 1980s. More worryingly, all the mites the researchers looked at were resistant to amitraz, the only pesticide that still works on mites without being too toxic for the bees themselves. Efforts by scientists to identify the culprit were slowed by federal funding cuts and layoffs, meaning that the findings may come too late for beekeepers to change their approach ahead of this coming winter. In the United States, bees pollinate more than 90 commercial crops and contribute greatly to the stability of the American food supply.

This new research fits with certain biblical themes and prophetic patterns. In the Bible, bees are associated with sweetness and blessing as the sources of honey and honeycomb (e.g., Deuteronomy 8:8; Psalm 19:10). Romans 8:22 describes creation as groaning under the weight of sin, and the collapse of pollinators—essential to global food systems—could be a warning sign of human mismanagement of the environment. Revelation 6:6 describes a coming time of famine and soaring food prices, and a bee collapse could wreak havoc on vital food crops. To learn more about what lies ahead for Israelite nations, you can read or listen to The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.