Freakonomics Radio
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670. Beeconomics 101
SummaryIn this episode of Freakonomics Radio, guest host Steve Levitt explores the complex and often murky world of the honeybee industry. The discussion begins with the challenges faced by commercial beekeepers, who are struggling despite a significant rise in domestic honey consumption and retail prices. While beekeepers work tirelessly to manage thousands of hives for both honey production and vital agricultural pollination, they face a shrinking profit margin due to the influx of cheap, often fraudulent, imported honey. The episode examines the pervasive issue of honey fraud, where manufacturers blend authentic honey with low-cost syrups, often circumventing international trade regulations through transshipment tactics. Experts in food law explain how a lack of official standards of identity for honey in the United States makes it difficult for regulators to crack down on these deceptive practices. Furthermore, the discussion touches on the broader ecological implications of this economic struggle. As domestic beekeepers face economic hardship and rising hive losses, the essential service of pollination remains at risk, highlighting the interconnectedness of food markets, regulatory policy, and the survival of the honeybee population.
Updated Apr 12, 2026
About This Episode
How do beekeepers make a living? Why is there so much honey fraud? And why did billions of bees suddenly disappear? To find out, guest host Steve Levitt activates his hive mind.
- SOURCES:
- Alex Sapoznik, historian, reader in late medieval history at King’s College London.
- Chris Hiatt, past president of the American Honey Producers Association, owner of Hiatt Honey Company.
- Michael Roberts, founding executive director of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy at U.C.L.A. Law School.
- Walter "Wally" Thurman, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at North Carolina State University.
- RESOURCES:
- "U.S. honey is increasingly supplied through imports," by David Olsen (USDA Economic Research Service, 2018).
- "Economic Effects and Responses to Changes in Honey Bee Health," by Peyton Ferrier, Randal Rucker, Walter Thurman, and Michael Burgett (USDA Economic Research Service, 2018).
- "The Fable of the Bees: An Economic Investigation," by Steven Cheung (The Journal of Law and Economics, 1973).
- "Sugar and Sweeteners Yearbook Tables - Visualization: Meeting honey demand in the United States," (USDA Economic Research Service).
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