Pollination:process by whichpollen grainsarrive at femalereproductivestructures
For about 80% ofthe planet’s240,000+ speciesof flowering plants,the processdepends on animalpartners, whichdeliver pollen withgreater precisionthan wind
S. Cameron
J Spencer
Apis melliferaThe western honey bee, isthe world’ premier managedpollinator
Attributes of honey bees conducive for useas managed pollinators (contributing $14
billion annually to US agriculture
Large colony size for servicing extensive monocultures
Elaborate communication system to promote flower fidelity
Extremely broad diet
Ability to learn to handle many kinds of flower types
Cavity-nesting habit well-suited to management purposesG. Zettel
National Academy of Sciences report on theStatus of Pollinators in North America (2006)Status• Long-term population
trends for honey bee inthe United States aredemonstrablydownward (mites,diseases, other pests)
• Similar data are notavailable for othermanaged pollinators.
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U.S. honey bee colonies, 1945-2005.Data compiled from USDA-NASS
On June 20, 2007, theCongressional Research Serviceupdated its report on ColonyCollapse Disorder; by this point,CCD had been reported in 35states; an estimated one-quarterof America’s honey bees hadvanished
Increasing demand for pollinationservices is pushing the limits of thesystem in an unprecedented way. Ifalmond acreage continues to expand, by2012 every honey bee in America will beneeded to pollinate just that crop;however, demand for pollination servicesis increasing for other crops as well.
http://www.indiansummerhoneyfarm.com/slide1.jpghttp://boxer.senate.gov/news/photos/features/farmbill/
544 hives on the truck,
Beekeeping technology is for themost part unchanged since the 19thcentury. For an industry thatcontributes about $15 billionannually, it’s remarkably unimproved
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Using a viral metagenomics approach, Cox-Foster et al. 2007demonstrated that Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus is associated withcolony collapse; other factors appear to affect its impact
Curing CCD/IAPV won’t• protect bees against future pests or
pathogens (increasingly likely withglobalization of trade)
• provide “crop insurance” in the form ofalternative pollinators
• maintain wild populations of pollinators toinsure the vitality of both managed andnatural plant communities
It’s unlikely that honeybees will go extinct(there are close to twodozen races across theglobe), but thebeekeeping industry inthe U.S. might notsurvive; prospects forsurvival of wildpollinators areimpossible to assesswithout baseline data
Unlike sunshine,pollination is not aninexhaustible resourceG. Zettel
