It’s been another poor year for the bees in 2025 though it seems better than the previous years, and don’t forget the cyclone at the start of the year! Adding to my articles that have followed the poor conditions starting around 2022 means we’ve had four years of bad conditions which has lead to many colony losses across the industry and community reaching possible losses of thirty to forty percent over the four years. It looks like we’ve had less losses in 2025 but many colonies haven’t exactly returned to the normal growth or health that we’ve been used to. Many colonies that were split two years ago are still ticking along but haven’t put on any weight so aren’t anywhere near being ready to split again.
The poor times are also reflected in the community with less activity or interest. We see new people trying to enter the hobby searching for colonies with no luck, possibly wondering off and losing interest completely. Even if conditions improve and return to normal it may take another few years before we can get back to normal supply levels. Your best bet might be to join someone’s waiting list, even if six months long.
The solitary bee side of the community may benefit from this as it’s not reliant on obtaining a colony. Anyone can simply enter the world of solitary bees without doing anything as you will already have them in your yard, you just have to spot and identify them. You can provide extra habitat and resources by expanding your garden and also adding a bee hotel and this gives you an easy start and focus point. You can do this while waiting to find a stingless bee colony!
We remain optimistic for 2026!