Bees face many challenges – and climate change is ratcheting up the pressure

Bees look for water on an outdoor tap in Berlin, Germany during a hot spell, June 19, 2022. Wolfram Steinberg/picture alliance via Getty Images

The extreme weather that has battered much of the U.S. in 2022 doesn’t just affect humans. Heat waves, wildfires, droughts and storms also threaten many wild species – including some that already face other stresses.

I’ve been researching bee health for over 10 years, with a focus on honey bees. In 2021, I began hearing for the first time from beekeepers about how extreme drought and rainfall were affecting bee colony health.