After firing scientists saving America's bees, Trump is closing their lab

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, plans to close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, home to the nation's premier bee research and disease diagnosis hub, despite a critical pollinator crisis.

The closure arrives as beekeepers face unprecedented challenges: in Winter 2025, pesticide-resistant varroa mites caused beekeepers to lose over half their operations, with nearly 1.7 million colonies dying nationwide. This cost the industry an estimated $600 million in lost production and replacement costs.

The Beltsville Bee Research Lab provides free disease diagnostic services and has served beekeepers for 130 years.

When beekeepers contacted the lab during the 2025 crisis, researchers were hampered by staff firings and communication restrictions imposed by the Trump administration, delaying findings by six months.

The lab's closure risks slower responses to bee threats, weakened native bee tracking, and diminished pollinator habitat, ultimately raising costs for farmers, beekeepers, and consumers.

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