This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Starting in late 2006, commercial migratory beekeepers along the East Coast of the U.S. began reporting sharp declines in their honey bee colonies. Scientists named this phenomenon Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Overall, the number of managed honey bee colonies dropped an estimated 35.8% in the winter of 2007/2008. The reasons for colony losses are not yet known. Contents of this report: (1) Importance of Honey Bee Pollination; (2) Extent and Symptoms of CCD: Past Honey Bee Population Losses; How CCD Differs from Past Bee Colony Losses; Symptoms of CCD; Possible Causes of CCD; Other Related Events; (3) Issues for Congress; 2008 Farm Bill: Conservation; Research; Insurance and Disaster Provisions. Charts and tables.

An essential guide to the health care of honey bees Honey Bee Medicine for the Veterinary Practitioner offers an authoritative guide to honey bee health and hive management. Designed for veterinarians and other professionals, the book presents information useful for answering commonly asked questions and for facilitating hive examinations. The book covers a wide range of topics including basic husbandry, equipment and safety, anatomy, genetics, the diagnosis and management of disease. It also includes up to date information on Varroa and other bee pests, introduces honey bee pharmacology and toxicology, and addresses native bee ecology. This new resource: Offers a guide to veterinary care of honey bees Provides information on basic husbandry, examination techniques, nutrition, and more Discusses how to successfully handle questions and 'hive calls' Includes helpful photographs, line drawings, tables, and graphs Written for veterinary practitioners, veterinary students, veterinary technicians, scientists, and apiarists, Honey Bee Medicine for the Veterinary Practitioner is a comprehensive and practical book on honey bee health.

Starting in late 2006, commercial migratory bee-keepers 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 named this phenomenon colony collapse disorder (CCD). Reports indicate that bee-keepers in most states have been affected. Overall, the number of managed honey bee colonies dropped an estimated 35.8% and 31.8% in the winters of 20062008, and 28.6% in 2009. To date, the precise reasons for colony losses are not yet known. Honey bees are the most economically valuable pollinators of agricultural crops world-wide. Scientists at universities and the 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 U.S. is estimated at $1520 billion annually. This book provides an overview of the importance of honey bee pollination to U.S. agricultural production and the extent and symptoms of CCD and how it differs from previous honey bee colony losses.Also discussed are the policy options and actions that Congress has taken to address this issues.

This engaging and easy-to-use natural history guidebook provides a thorough overview of native and honey bee biology and offers tools for identifying the most common bees of California and the Western United States. Full-color illustrations introduce readers to more than 30 genera of native bees, noting each one's needs and habits and placing them in their wider context. The author highlights bees’ ties to our own lives, the food we eat, and the habitat we provide, and suggests ways to support bees in our own backyards. In addition to helping readers understand and distinguish among major groups of bees, this guide reveals how bees are an essential part of healthy ecosystem and how many plants, including important crop plants, depend on the pollination they provide. As growing evidence points to declining bee populations, this book offers critical information about the bond between plants and pollinators, and between humans and nature. Thoroughly researched and full of new insights into the ancient process of pollination, Field Guide to the Common Bees of California; Including Bees of the Western United States is invaluable for the window it opens onto the biodiversity, adaptive range, and complexity of invertebrate communities.

Written by a globally prominent entomologist, Agricultural Acarology: Introduction to Integrated Mite Management provides tools for developing integrated mite management programs for agriculture, including management of plant-feeding mites, mites attacking bees and livestock, and stored products. Emphasizing the biology, ecology, behavior, and dive