Honey Bees: Colony Collapse Disorder and Pollinator Role in Ecosystems

$195.00

Iris T. Blaylock and Terresa H. Richards (Editors)

Series: Agriculture Issues and Policies; Insects and Other Terrestrial Arthropods: Biology, Chemistry and Behavior
BISAC: SOC055000

In 2006, commercial migratory beekeepers along the East Coast of the United States began reporting sharp declines in their honey bee colonies. Because of the severity and unusual circumstances of these colony declines, scientists have named this phenomenon Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Reports indicate that beekeepers in 35 states have been affected. Overall, bee colony losses averaged about 30% in
2007. Reports for 2008 show continued declines with estimated average annual losses nationwide approaching 35%.

Honey bees are the most economically valuable pollinators of agricultural crops worldwide. Many scientists at universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) frequently assert that bee pollination is involved in about one-third of the U.S. diet, and contributes to the production of a wide range of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, forage crops, some field crops, and other specialty crops. The monetary value of honey bees as commercial pollinators in the United States is estimated at about $15 billion annually.

Honey bee colony losses are not uncommon. However, current losses seem to differ from past situations in that colony losses are occurring mostly because bees are failing to return to the hive (which is largely uncharacteristic of bee behavior); bee colony losses have been rapid; colony losses are occurring in large numbers; and the
reason(s) for these losses remains largely unknown. The potential causes of CCD, as reported by the scientists who are researching this phenomenon, include but maynot be limited to parasites, mites, and disease loads in the bees and brood; emergence of new or newly more virulent pathogens; poor nutrition among adult bees; lack of genetic diversity and lineage of bees; level of stress in adult bees (e.g., transportation and confinement of bees, overcrowding, or other environmental or biological stressors); chemical residue/contamination in the wax, food stores, and/or bees; a combination of these and/or other factors.

In 2007, the House held two subcommittee hearings to review the recent honey bee colony declines and to address concerns about pollinator health. In 2008, the Senate hosted a briefing on pollinators and their role in agricultural security. Various policy options were discussed at these hearings and briefings, including increasing federal funding for research and monitoring, providing technical support and assistance for beekeepers, and emphasizing the importance of pollinator diversity and sustaining wild and native pollinator species.

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Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. Recent Honey Bee Colony Declines; pp. 1-16
(Renee Johnson)

Chapter 2. Colony Collapse Disorder Action Plan; pp. 17-40
(CCD Steering Committee, June 20, 2007)

Chapter 3. Colony Collapse Disorder: A Complex Buzz; pp. 41-46
(Agricultural Research May/June 2008)

Chapter 4. Review Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bee Colonies Across the United States: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture of the Committee on Agriculture House of Representatives One Hundred Tenth Congress First Session, March 29, 1007; pp. 47-188
(Committee on Agriculture, U.S. Government Printing Office)

Chapter 5. “The Birds and the Bees” – How Pollinators Help Maintain Health Ecosystems; pp. 189-195
(Written Testimony of May R. Berenbaum, Dept. of Entomology, Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and National Research Council Committee on the Status of Pollinators in North America before the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, June 26, 2007)

Chapter 6. Statement of John Replogle, President and CEO, Burt’s Bees, Durham, North Carolina Before the Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, Committee on Agriculture, U.S. House of Representatives, June 26, 2008; pp. 197-200

Chapter 7. Testimony of David Mendes, Vice President, American Beekeeping Federation, Inc., North Fort Meyers, Florida, For the Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, Hearing on the Status of Research on Pollinator Health Including Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bee Colonies, U.S. House of Representatives, June 26, 2008; pp. 201-204
(Chairman Cardoza and Members of the Subcommittee

Chapter 8. Statement of Dr. Kevin Hackett, National Program Leader for Bees and Pollination, Agricultural Research Service, United States Dept. of Agriculture Before the United States House of Representatives, National Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans, Oversight Hearing – The Birds and the Bees: How Pollinators Help Maintain Healthy Ecosystems, June 26,2007; pp. 205-209

Chapter 9. Before the United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, Committee on Agriculture, Testimony of Katty Pien, Brand Director, Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream, June 26, 2008; pp. 211-213

Chapter 10. Prepared Testimony of Keith S. Delaplane, Professor of Entomology, Univ. of Georgia before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, Plans for Coordinated Research and Education to Reverse Pollinator Decline, June 26, 2008; pp. 215-219

Chapter 11. Prepared Testimony of Maryann Frazier, Senior Extension Associate, Dept. of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State Univ. before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture on Update on Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bee Colonies in the United States, June 26, 2008; pp. 221-226

Chapter 12. Statement of Dr. Edward B. Knipling, Administrator, Agricultural Research Service, United States Dept. of Agriculture Before the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, Hearing on Pollinator Health and Colony Collapse Disorder, June 26, 2008; pp. 227-231

Chapter 13. Testimony of Steve Godlin, S.P. Godlin Apiaries, Visalia, California for the Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, Hearing on the Status of Research on Pollinator Health Including Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bee Colonies, U.S. House of Representatives, June 26, 2008; pp. 233-235

Chapter 14. Statement of Robert D. Edwards, Grower, Halifax County, North Carolina, Before the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee, On Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, Thursday, June 26, 2008; pp. 237-239

Chapter 15. Written Testimony of Daniel Binford Weaver, President of the American Beekeeping Federation, Inc., June 26th, 2007 before the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, Committee on Natural Resources; pp. 241-249

Chapter 16. Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Testimony before Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, Hearing on “The Birds and the Bees: How Pollinators Help Maintain Healthy Ecosystems”, June 26, 2007; pp. 251-253

Chapter 17. Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, Testimony of the Honorable Alcee L. Hastings, The Importance of the Pollinator Protection Act and Other Policy Responses to North American Pollinator Decline, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, Committee on Natural Resources, United States House of Representatives, June 26, 2007; pp. 255-257

Chapter 18. Testimony of Dr. Mamie Parker, Assistant Director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservation, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans, Regarding Pollinators, June 26, 2007; pp. 259-264

Chapter 19. Testimony Presented Before the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, “The Birds and the Bees: How Pollinators Help Maintain Healthy Ecosystems” June 26, 2007; pp. 265-269

Index

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