How Nate’s Honey Uses AI to Protect Its 6 Billion Bees

How Nate’s Honey Uses AI to Protect 6 Billion Bees

Nate’s Honey is turning to artificial intelligence to address one of the biggest challenges facing the American honey industry: keeping honey bee colonies alive. With more than 6 billion honey bees under its care, the company is using emerging technology, including AI-powered hive monitoring and robotic equipment, to identify potential threats and improve colony health.

The technology comes as beekeepers across the United States face mounting pressure from parasites, disease, environmental conditions and declining colony survival rates. By combining traditional beekeeping practices with artificial intelligence, Nate’s Hives hopes to protect its massive bee population while strengthening domestic honey production.

Why Nate’s Honey Is Turning to Artificial Intelligence

Nate’s Honey operates alongside Nate’s Hives, the beekeeping business owned by Sweet Harvest Foods. In December 2025, the company announced that Nate’s Hives had become the largest beekeeper in the United States, managing more than 6 billion honey bees across 120,000 colonies and 10 apiary sites nationwide. The operation also employs more than 100 beekeepers and has expanded through acquisitions of five local beekeeping businesses over three years.

Managing that many colonies creates a significant monitoring challenge. Beekeepers must identify problems early, monitor hive conditions and determine when colonies need intervention. Artificial intelligence offers another way to collect and analyze information that might otherwise require extensive manual inspections. According to reporting published November 6, 2026, Nate’s Honey and its parent company are experimenting with AI-powered devices that analyze sounds coming from inside beehives. These systems are designed to identify potential warning signs by recognizing patterns in hive activity.

AI Devices Listen to Bees for Signs of Trouble

One of the technologies being explored uses artificial intelligence to monitor the sounds produced inside a hive. Honey bee colonies generate different acoustic patterns as bees communicate and carry out their daily activities. Changes in those sounds may provide useful information about colony conditions. AI-powered monitoring systems can analyze these acoustic signals and identify patterns that could indicate potential problems. Instead of relying exclusively on a beekeeper physically opening every hive, technology can help flag colonies that may require closer attention.

This approach could become particularly valuable for a company managing 120,000 colonies across multiple states. Earlier identification of potential problems could help beekeepers prioritize inspections and respond before colony conditions deteriorate. However, acoustic monitoring should not be confused with a system that can independently diagnose every bee disease or guarantee colony survival. The technology is intended to support beekeepers, not replace their experience and judgment.

The Varroa Mite: One of the Biggest Threats to Honey Bees

Another major focus of Nate’s Hives’ technology efforts is the Varroa mite, a parasite considered one of the most damaging threats to managed honey bee colonies. Varroa mites attach themselves to honey bees and reproduce inside developing brood. They weaken bees and transmit viruses that can contribute to colony collapse. Infestations can spread quickly if beekeepers do not identify and manage them.

Nate’s Honey is also using a robotic hive designed to help determine whether mite populations are spreading. The technology is intended to give beekeepers additional information about potential infestations and help them make more informed decisions about hive management. The importance of this work is underscored by research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2025, USDA researchers reported that Varroa mites resistant to certain miticide treatments were widespread in the samples they examined. The findings highlighted the need for improved parasite monitoring and new approaches to protecting honey bee colonies.

American Honey Bees Are Facing Record Losses

The technology comes at a particularly difficult time for American beekeepers. According to the 2024–2025 U.S. Beekeeping Survey, an estimated 55.6% of managed honey bee colonies were lost between April 2024 and April 2025. Researchers described the figure as the highest annual loss rate recorded since national tracking began in 2010–2011.

More recent preliminary findings for the 2025–2026 season showed improvement, with estimated annual colony losses declining to 39.9%. However, that figure remains substantial, demonstrating the continuing challenges facing commercial and independent beekeepers.

Colony losses are influenced by multiple factors, including parasites, viruses, nutrition, weather and management practices. Artificial intelligence cannot eliminate these threats, but better monitoring could help beekeepers recognize problems earlier.

Why Protecting Bees Matters to the American Food Supply

Honey bees play an important role in agriculture beyond producing honey. They pollinate numerous crops, including almonds, apples, blueberries, cherries, squash and watermelons. Their pollination activity supports agricultural production and helps maintain the availability of many foods consumed by Americans.

The economic stakes are significant. USDA research and agricultural estimates have repeatedly highlighted the substantial value of pollination services provided by managed honey bees. The honey industry is also facing a domestic supply challenge. According to the USDA, American honey production totaled 134 million pounds in 2024. Production declined further to 116 million pounds in 2025, a 14% decrease.

Meanwhile, American consumers continue to purchase substantially more honey than domestic producers supply, making imports an important part of the U.S. honey market. For Nate’s Hives, improving colony health could help address both the challenges of maintaining healthy bee populations and the need for stronger domestic honey production.

Combining Traditional Beekeeping With Modern Technology

Despite its investment in artificial intelligence, Nate’s Hives emphasizes that technology is not intended to replace experienced beekeepers. Matt Halbgewachs, president and head beekeeper of Nate’s Hives, has explained that modern beekeeping increasingly relies on digital hive tracking, geographic analysis, environmental monitoring and predictive modeling.

These tools allow beekeepers to compare information across thousands of colonies, identify patterns and make more informed decisions about hive management. The company also employs more than 120 dedicated beekeepers and has brought scientific expertise into its operations. In February 2026, Nate’s Hives appointed Dr. Kelly Kulhanek, an entomologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, as its senior entomologist. Her responsibilities include advancing research into colony health, nutrition, genetics and resilience.

Nate’s Hives Is Investing in the Future of Bee Research

Beyond its AI initiatives, Nate’s Hives is investing in research partnerships intended to improve the long-term health of honey bee populations. The company established the Nate’s Hives Research Grant Program to support universities, nonprofit organizations and researchers working on solutions for pollinator health and sustainable beekeeping.

One of its research initiatives involves Purdue University scientists developing a genomic prediction service for honey bees. The project aims to use genetic information to help beekeepers identify queens whose offspring may demonstrate stronger resistance to Varroa mites, improved survival and better honey production. The approach uses naturally occurring genetic differences and does not involve genetically modifying honey bees. By supporting research into genetics, disease resistance and colony survival, Nate’s Hives hopes to make scientific advancements more accessible to beekeepers throughout the industry.

Can Artificial Intelligence Help Save America’s Bees?

Artificial intelligence is not a guaranteed solution to the honey bee crisis, but it could give beekeepers another important tool for protecting their colonies. For a company responsible for more than 6 billion honey bees, even incremental improvements in monitoring and early threat detection could have significant implications. Nate’s Honey is betting that combining experienced beekeepers, scientific research, robotic equipment and AI-powered monitoring can improve how large-scale apiaries operate.

The broader challenge extends beyond one honey company. Healthy honey bee populations support agricultural production, food availability and ecosystems throughout the United States. Whether these technologies will meaningfully reduce colony losses remains to be demonstrated through measurable results. For now, the effort represents an emerging direction for an industry increasingly looking to technology to protect one of agriculture’s most important pollinators.