Book Description

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 nation-wide approaching 35%. Honey bees are the most economically valuable pollinators of agricultural crops world-wide. 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 speciality 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 behaviour); 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 may not 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 emphasising the importance of pollinator diversity and sustaining wild and native pollinator species.