Honey Production Up In 2024 After A Difficult 2023

As beekeepers finish up their last fall harvest, honey production is looking better than last year, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.

Garrett Slater, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension honeybee specialist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Entomology, works to support the state’s commercial and hobby beekeepers and is based at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton. He said while the numbers are still coming in, overall Texas is seeing better honey production after a tough 2023.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Association Service’s latest statistics on honey production showed that Texas honey production dropped to less than $12 million in 2023 compared to more than $27 million in 2022. Prices per pound were also down 24 cents per pound.

“Last year was a bad year for honey producers,” Slater said. “Honey production was significantly lower in 2023 compared to any number from the past 10 years.”

Recovering from a rough 2023

Not only were production and prices down, the number of honeybee colonies dropped. Slater said the number of honey producing hives – 360,000 in 2022 – declined by 55,000 hives in 2023.

Hives can be affected by a number of factors including the loss of a queen, pesticides, disease and extreme weather — including freezing temperatures, excessive rains, very high temperatures and drought. Last year, brought a range of weather-related challenges to beekeepers resulting in colony loss and lower production.

Slater said less extreme weather swings and milder summer temperatures contributed to improved conditions for bee colonies and honey production.

“The weather was better for the bees this year so I’m expecting to see stronger numbers once we have the final report from the harvest,” Slater said.

Texas ranks third in the nation for honeybee colonies and seventh for honey production.

Panhandle

Conditions remained very dry. Overall, soil moisture levels were reported from adequate to very short. The corn and grain sorghum harvests continued, and forage sorghum continued to be chopped as fields dried to suitable moisture contents. The cotton harvest was getting underway as harvest aid applications were applied to most fields within the past few weeks. Upper-canopy bolls had opened nicely given the number of sunny, relatively warm days available to reach final maturity. There were no major wind or storm events that would have degraded the cotton fiber. Any additional rainfall would help recently emerged small grain and winter cover crops. Supplemental feeding of cows continued. Pasture and rangeland conditions were very poor to fair, with overall crop conditions reported as poor to good.