According to beekeeper Ward Graham, harsh winters and changes in pressure systems could lead to a decline of the honey bee population and hinder the ability of plants to produce pollen.

“We could fall into a trap which could lead us down a path where climate change could just really decimate plants' reproductive abilities," said Graham.

For Graham, beekeeping has been a hobby for the last 10 years.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, honey production was down 9 percent in 2017 from producers with five or more colonies.

Heading into the winter, Graham started with 22 hives and is down to 17 to start the spring harvest season. 

“As soon as that weather drops into the negative teens, it’s like there it goes, I’m guaranteed to start having hives die. I’ve actually known older beekeepers that just start throwing up their hands and they’re like 'I can’t deal with this because I’m losing too many colonies and it’s not fun anymore,'” added Graham.

According to USDA, there were 2.67 million colonies producing honey in 2017, which was down four percent from the previous year.

The biggest challenge Graham says beekeepers face is getting their hives through the winter season. He lost one of his weaker hives during April’s ice storm.

“If the buds start to break on the trees and the flowers and you get these ice storms it’s very detrimental because now you’re going to kill your buds, so now you’ve essentially lost that harvest,” added Graham.

Another major challenge beekeepers face during winter months is swings in temperature leading the queen bee to lay more eggs before the warm temperatures become consistent.

“If it gets cold again, those worker bees will refuse to leave the brood and they will sit there and they will vibrate their wing muscles and they will starve to death, and then the whole colony is gone,” added Graham.