Beekeepers in the U.S. lost an estimated 39% of their honey bee colonies in the year that ended April 1, according to an annual survey that tracks the turnover rate of managed hives. That’s slightly less than the average loss rate of 39.7% and a huge improvement over last year, when 50.8% of their hives collapsed—the highest annual loss on record. The results come from the Colony Loss , The USDA program has about 3, 000 to 5, 000 beekeepers participating, with just over three million colonies of bees. The most recent industry figures count roughly 100, 000 beekeepers in the US, with the majority being hobbyists with a few hives. Commercial beekeeping in the US dates back to the 1860s, and many are hobbyists., Commercial beekeepers in Texas have lost about two thirds of their honey bees since June last year, according to a recent survey., Colony turnover is an accepted factor in the beekeeping business, as bee colonies naturally age and die off. But over the past decade, U.S. beekeepers have reported high loss rates, which has , Beekeepers across the United States lost 44 percent of their honey bee colonies during the year spanning April 2015 to April 2016, according to the latest preliminary results of an annual , .