Partners & Allies
The organizations doing the work
No single organization solves the pollinator crisis alone. The Apiary Project exists within an ecosystem of beekeeping associations, conservation groups, research institutions, and policy organizations that collectively represent the interests of pollinators and the people who depend on them. This page documents who's doing what - and how the work connects.
Beekeeping Organizations
The institutional backbone of American beekeeping - from national industry groups to your local county association.
American Beekeeping Federation (ABF)
National trade organization
Founded in 1943. Represents commercial beekeepers, honey producers, and allied industries. Primary industry voice in federal policy discussions on pesticide regulation, honey labeling standards, and USDA research funding. Hosts the largest annual beekeeping convention in the US.
American Honey Producers Association (AHPA)
Honey producer advocacy
Focuses specifically on the economic interests of domestic honey producers - particularly honey fraud enforcement, import regulation, and market access. Has been the most vocal national organization on honey adulteration and the need for a federal standard of identity for honey.
Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA)
State regulatory coordination
Represents state apiary inspectors - the government officials who monitor colony health, enforce disease control regulations, and track reportable diseases like American foulbrood. Their data on colony health is some of the most granular available, though coverage varies by state.
State & Local Beekeeping Associations
Grassroots infrastructure
Every state has at least one beekeeping association; most have county-level clubs as well. These organizations run mentorship programs, coordinate swarm response, advocate for local pollinator policy, and provide the community infrastructure that keeps first-year beekeepers from quitting. They are the front line of American beekeeping.
Research & Data
The institutions producing the science that informs everything else.
Bee Informed Partnership (BIP)
Colony loss monitoring
Conducts the annual colony loss and management survey - the most widely cited dataset on managed honey bee mortality in the US. Their methodology defines how the industry measures "30-45% annual losses." Also provides paid diagnostic and monitoring services to commercial operations.
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Federal bee research
Operates four bee research laboratories across the US (Baton Rouge, Tucson, Logan, Beltsville). Research covers Varroa-resistant breeding programs, pesticide toxicology, Nosema biology, and pollinator health monitoring. Chronically underfunded relative to the agricultural value they support.
University Extension Programs
Regional research & education
Land-grant universities in nearly every state conduct regionally specific bee research - from the University of Minnesota's bee breeding program to the University of Florida's pest management work to Oregon State's native pollinator surveys. Extension programs translate academic research into field-applicable knowledge.
USGS Native Bee Inventory & Monitoring Lab
Wild pollinator science
The federal laboratory working to inventory and monitor native bee species - the roughly 4,000 species that aren't Apis mellifera but pollinate 80% of wild plants. Their taxonomy work and monitoring protocols form the baseline for understanding which native species are declining and where.
Conservation & Advocacy
Organizations working on habitat, policy, and the broader conservation landscape.
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Pollinator conservation leadership
The most influential organization in native pollinator conservation. Their Red List assessments of North American bumble bees provide the data behind bumblebee decline reporting. Their Pollinator Conservation Program works with farms, public lands, and municipalities to create and protect habitat. If there's one organization doing the most for wild pollinators, it's Xerces.
Pollinator Partnership
Habitat & awareness
Coordinates National Pollinator Week (annually in June), manages the Ecoregional Planting Guides (region-specific native plant recommendations), and runs the Bee Friendly Farming certification program. Their planting guides are among the most practical tools for landowners wanting to create pollinator habitat.
Project Apis m. (PAm)
Research funding
Industry-funded research foundation that directs money from almond growers and beekeepers toward honey bee health research. Funds forage planting programs in agricultural landscapes and sponsors research on nutrition, disease, and Varroa management. Their "Seeds for Bees" program plants cover crops in almond orchards between pollination seasons.
Center for Food Safety
Pesticide policy litigation
Has led legal challenges against EPA neonicotinoid approvals, arguing that the agency's risk assessments underestimate harm to pollinators. Their litigation strategy has forced re-evaluation of several pesticide registrations and drawn public attention to the regulatory gap between EU and US approaches.
Work With Us
The Apiary Project collaborates with research institutions, conservation organizations, state beekeeping associations, and policy groups on data sharing, joint analysis, and advocacy initiatives. If your organization works in pollinator conservation, beekeeping, or agricultural policy and you see a place where our work overlaps, reach out.
We're particularly interested in partnerships around colony loss data analysis, state-level regulation tracking, native pollinator monitoring, and public education on pollinator issues.
Get in Touch