Todd Butler of Little Rock tends the assembly line at Fischer Honey Co. in North Little Rock. (Rob Moritz photo)

LITTLE ROCK — The bad buzz is, the cost of honey and wax are up these days because honey bees are getting scarce.

The good news is that Arkansas appears to have avoided, for the most part, the mysterious malady that has been ravaging hives across the country.

Since late 2006, commercial beekeepers nationwide have been struggling with what researchers call colony collapse disorder, a phenomenon where bees abandon their hives.

“Right now Arkansas is in pretty good shape as far, but it’s a continuing problem in some parts of the country,” said Glenn Studebaker, extension entomologist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

At one time, beekeepers, also known as apiarists, could expect a 5 percent to 25 percent annual winter die-off of bees, but because of colony collapse disorder, they are reporting losses of 30 percent to 40 percent.

While scientists have been trying to trace the problem to a parasite or virus, or a combination of the two, researchers believe stress is a major contributor, said Mark Stall, apiary manager with the state Plant Board.

“It should be something (beekeepers) should be worried about,”  Stall said. “Every third bite of food can be linked to honey bees.”

One case of colony collapse disorder has been reported in Arkansas so far. A commercial beekeeper outside Jonesboro lost his business and is trying to start a new operation in Florida.

Each year, honey bees are used to pollinate 100 different crops valued at $20 billion nationwide, Stoll said. Additionally, the bees also produce about $150 million a year in honey and bees wax, he said.

In Arkansas, honey bees contribute about $700 million annually to the state’s agriculture economy through pollination, Stall said.

Arkansas at one time was ranked eighth nationally in the amount of honey production and now ranks 16th, according to James Rhein of Mountain Home, president of the Arkansas Beekeepers Association.

The state has 1,500 registered beekeepers and about 3,800 registered bee yards, according to the state Plant Board. On average, each hive has 50,000 or more bees.

Along with pollinating Arkansas’ crops, about 20 commercial honey bee operations in Arkansas travel annually to California and a number of other states to help pollinate crops. Many go to California for almonds, New England for blueberries, Washington for apples and Wisconsin for cranberries.

Joe Callaway, president of Fischer Honey Co. in North Little Rock, said since colony collapse disorder was first reported, it has become increasingly difficult for his company to acquire honey from domestic bees.

“What it has done is cut back on production, and anytime you cut back on production, the U.S. has to import honey because they import more than they can produce, then the prices go up,” he said, adding that the cost of  honey has risen about 50 percent since 2006.

“We’re still able to get honey, we just have to pay more for it, therefore the consumer has to pay more for it,” Callaway said.

He said Fischer buys honey from Arkansas beekeepers, as well as from bee yards “from South Dakota all the way down to south Texas.” The company sells honey in 15 states.

Callaway said beekeepers in several states have complained to him about colony collapse disorder, and he said he has heard reports of a 30 percent die-off in bee hives every winter.

Richard Underhill, who owns Peace Bee Farm in Proctor community in Crittenden County and is a member of the Memphis Area Beekeepers Association, said colony collapse disorder continues to affect commercial beekeeping operations. But he said most beekeepers “are starting to get a handle on the problem” and are taking corrective action.

“The number of bees are declining every year but the beekeepers are building back up their colonies each spring,” said Underhill, president of the Tennessee Beekeepers Association.

In most cases where a high percentage of hives were lost, Underhill said, researchers have found that the bees were stressed from being overworked and undernourished. In some cases, the region was suffering from drought.

Underhill said more demand is being placed on honey bees because their numbers are declining.

“We have only have about half as many bee colonies as in 1947,” he said, adding that the number of people in the beekeeping business has also dropped about 80 percent.

Mites also have played a major role in the loss of bees, and large die-offs of bees are not uncommon, Underhill said, noting parasites caused massive destruction of bee hives in the 1980s.

Also, some scientists believe colony collapse disorder is nothing more than a return of conditions that occur every 20 to 30 years.

Rhein, president of the Arkansas Beekeepers Association, said there is evidence that colony collapse disorder swept through the nation’s bee hives several years ago. He also said the recent publicity has helped to educate beekeepers on reducing stress and improving bee nutrition.

Colony collapse disorder “has happened before and it looks like the bee population is on the upswing,” Rhein said. “Personally, I believe it’s an act of nature. Nature is cleaning house, getting rid of the weak bees, keeping the strong bees.”