Friends of the Bee,
I wish I didn’t have to ask that question. But after this year, it would be dishonest not to.
Colonies failed at rates we haven’t seen in decades. Forage arrived late or not at all.
Heat stressed hives past recovery. Diseases spread faster than treatment plans.
YOUR GIFT DOUBLED TODAY
Beekeepers did everything in their power and still watched colonies collapse.
This wasn’t a bad year. It was a breaking point. And the hardest part is this. None of it was accidental.
Bees are being poisoned by systems that still reward chemical shortcuts. They’re starving in landscapes stripped of diversity. They’re pushed to the edge by policies that lag behind reality.
When bees die, it doesn’t make headlines like a large animal does. No photos. No outrage cycle. Just quieter shelves. Higher food costs. A food system and environment under strain. We’re already feeling it.
Right now, we’re staring at a future where losses like this become the norm unless we act faster and with more force than we have before. That’s why this moment matters.
A group of supporters has stepped up to match every year-end gift dollar for dollar. Your donation right now goes twice as far to protect bees, support beekeepers, and rebuild what’s been broken.
If we wait, 2026 will open with fewer colonies, fewer beekeepers, and less margin for recovery. Habitat doesn’t magically appear in spring. Research doesn’t restart on hope alone. Bees and beekeepers can’t absorb another year like this without backup.
Here’s the truth I carry into the new year.
- We don’t lose bees all at once.
- We lose them when we hesitate.
- When we normalize decline.
- When urgency fades into acceptance.
That can’t happen here.
Your year-end gift fuels three things that directly save lives in the field.
- Habitat where bees can eat.
- Research that reduces losses.
- Advocacy and educations that pushes back against the systems causing harm.
This is the moment to decide what kind of year comes next. Do we enter 2026 bracing for impact. Or do we enter it rebuilding with purpose. Please give now while your gift is matched. Don’t wait while colonies fail quietly.
With resolve and gratitude,
Eric Mason, Executive Director, Save the Bee – eric.mason@savethebee.org
