This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
Honey bees across the country are under attack from tiny, eight-legged parasitic mites. These mites burrow between the segments of the bees’ adult bodies or invade their larvae and infect them with viruses — deforming their wings and leaving them flightless.
That’s not only problematic for the bees — whose entire colonies can collapse from a mite invasion — but also for California, which relies on the bees for its food production and economy.
Earlier this month the state Assembly overwhelmingly passed a bill that would direct the California Department of Food and Agriculture to establish a health program for managed honey bees. The department would work with beekeepers, farmers, scientists and other stakeholders to provide grants for projects and research that support managed honey bees.
Honey bees are essential for pollinating almonds, which are a lucrative multibillion-dollar industry. The bees also produced 13.3 million pounds of honey in 2024, or nearly 10% of the country’s supply, valued at $32.8 million.
But beginning in the late 1980s, Varroa mites native to Asia began infiltrating bee colonies in the U.S. By the early 2000s, they were “in everyone’s hives,” said Ryan Burris, the president of the California State Beekeepers Association.
Pesticides and other pest management methods stabilized the bee population over the decades. But commercial honey bee deaths have been soaring in the U.S. in recent years, and the reason why remains unclear. Between June 2024 and March 2025, beekeepers lost 1.6 million colonies — an average of 62% of their colonies.
The proposed program would provide grants to help beekeepers and farmers plant more crops or purchase probiotics to improve the bees’ health, among other things.
The bill is currently before the Senate Agriculture Committee, where it could be considered as early as mid-July.
More ways to get CalMatters news: We have an app, available for both iPhone and Android users. You’ll get a notification each morning about the day’s top stories, and you’ll be the first to know about important breaking news. And we can send you text alerts on our latest investigations, political coverage and more. Sign up here.
Newsom slows roll on return to office mandate
Gov. Gavin Newsom is open to giving California public employees a temporary break on his return-to-office mandate.
The union representing about 14,000 state engineers made a deal that delays the four-day-a-week order for one year. It was supposed to take effect July 1.
The Professional Engineers in California Government disclosed that agreement alongside a new contract that includes some concessions Newsom wanted to trim payroll expenses as he tries to shore up a $12 billion budget deficit.
Workers represented by the union will get a 3% raise next week, but it’d be offset by mandatory unpaid time off that would basically negate the pay increase for two years. That’s similar to the terms of a deal Newsom made last week with the union representing state prison guards.
Newsom embraced telework policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. He brought public employees back to the office twice-a-week last year, and ordered a bigger move to four-days-a-week in May.
Congress follows up on CalMatters investigation
And lastly: CA Ozempic users; and rooftop solar customers
Some stories may require a subscription to read.