Hurricane Helene has left widespread damage to homes, other buildings, bridges, and roadways. However, its strong winds, which topped out at 140 mph on land, and the flooding induced by its excessive rainfall have also seriously damaged vegetation. That leaves the tiny heroes of agriculture at risk of starvation.

Nearly 60,000 honey bee hives are thought to have been destroyed across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and other Southeastern states. Much of the plant life that would feed remaining bees, from flowers to crops, has also been wiped out by Helene. This means they need emergency food, and they need it quickly.

Our partner Greater Good Charities is on the ground with Mann Lake Bee and Ag Supply, the largest global supply house for honey bees, to get emergency bee pollen substitute and syrup out to impacted beekeepers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

With damages to their hive infrastructure and lost bees, the aid will help beekeepers sustain their remaining bees and allow them to focus a bit more on other damages they could be experiencing, including to their homes. As the damage from the storm continues to be understood, we’ll be coordinating with beekeepers’ associations across impacted states to assess further need.

GreaterGood and Greater Good Charities have long partnered with Mann Lake to help beekeepers impacted by either natural disasters, like hurricanes and flooding, or man-made disasters, like the war in Ukraine. This work ensures beekeepers can maintain their livelihood, but it’s also essential for all of us

Though people often associate bees with honey, they provide much more than that to our dinner tables. Pollinators, including bees, are key to the production of about a third of the world’s food crops. That includes more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables, almonds, and the coffee drinks we order at our local café.

Hurricanes are far from the only risk to honey bees. They also have to contend with parasites like the varroa mite, pesticides, lack of forage, and climate change. Even without strong storms, beekeepers often lose 30-40% of colonies every year.

By helping beekeepers recover as soon as possible after a storm, we’re able to ensure they can sustain their bees, so their hard work can, in turn, help sustain our food systems.

If you’d like to help beekeepers suffering from Helene-related losses, click below!