NC1173: Sustainable Solutions to Problems Affecting Bee Health
Statement of Issues and Justification
ISSUES AND JUSTIFICATIONHoney bees provide essential pollination services to US fruit and vegetable growers, adding $8-10 billion annually to farm income. About 2 million colonies are rented by growers each year to service over 50 crops. Almonds alone require 1.3 million colonies and are predicted to require 2.12 million by 2012, a number nearly equal to the number of colonies presently in the US. Increasing demand comes at a time when beekeepers are operating in crisis mode. The supply of healthy colonies is volatile as parasitic mites and the rigors of migratory beekeeping continue to cause catastrophic die-offs. Pesticide resistance and a lack of viable, industry-based honey bee breeding programs contribute to these losses. The problems associated with mites and other factors affecting honey bees are outlined in a 2007 report of the NAS-NRC², Status of Pollinators in North America.
The winter of 2007/08 witnessed another major colony die-off, and while many of the deaths are due to parasitic mites, a large number of colonies exhibited symptoms inconsistent with mites or any known disorder. By last count, 0.75 to 1 million honey bee colonies died over the winter of 2007-2008 (vanEngelsdorp et al. 2008). Migratory beekeepers trucking bees over great distances were especially hard hit. This suggests yet another problem has beset an already beleaguered industry. This new syndrome has been named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in 2007. A list of possible causes for CCD includes new pesticides and pesticide use patterns, nutritional deficits associated with monocultures, loss of immunity to pathogens and exotic pathogens.
According to a survey conducted by the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, honey bee colony losses nationwide were approximately 29 percent from all causes from September 2008 to April 2009 (Kaplan 2009). This is less than the overall losses of about 36 percent from 2007 to 2008, and about 32 percent from 2006 to 2007, that have been reported in similar surveys. About 26 percent of apiaries surveyed in the latest survey reported that some of their colonies died of colony collapse disorder (CCD), down from 36 percent of apiaries in 2007 2008. As this was an interview based survey, it was not possible to differentiate between verifiable cases of CCD and colonies lost as the result of other causes that share the "absence of dead bees" as a symptom. However, among beekeepers that reported any colonies collapsing without the presence of dead bees, each lost an average of 32 percent of their colonies in 2008 2009, while apiaries that did not lose any bees with symptoms of CCD each lost an average of 26 percent of their colonies. The survey checked on about 20 percent of the country's 2.3 million colonies.
The NC 508 committee met at the University of Florida, Gainesville on 4 February 2009. Members present represented 14 universities from throughout the US. Committee members discussed ongoing research and plans were made to conduct future research to develop viable solutions to the problems afflicting honey bees in order to ensure the sustainability of the nations food supply.
Most of our committee members are involved in a $4.1 million 4-year CAP project that was funded in 2008 to study the causes of CCD and other maladies affecting bee populations. The CAP funding obtained was a direct result of the establishment of the NC 508 committee in 2007. A second meeting of some NC 508 participants was convened that same year to initiate the proposal writing. The scientists will conduct research that addresses genomics, breeding, pathology, immunology, and applied ecology to investigate and explain the causes of the decline in bee colonies in the US in recent years. In addition, we will investigate the role of ecosystem services provided by native, wild bees in pollinating crops. Native bee pollination can be sufficient to fully pollinate crops in some agricultural contexts (Kremen et al. 2002; Winfree et al. 2007), and even when pollination services are incomplete, can serve as a supplement to or back-up for managed honey bee stocks. Native bee ecologist(s) will investigate the role of native bee species in pollinating several crops and will and identify the land and farm management practices associated with high levels of native bee pollination. Committee members will work closely with the extension community and other stakeholders to develop and implement mitigative strategies that unravel the causes of CCD and other significant bee health problems.
TYPES OF ACTIVITIES
The purpose of this committee has been and will be to coordinate research that is relevant to bee colony health. We are seeking participation of personnel with expertise in bee nutrition, toxicology, parasitology, pathology, breeding, integrated pest management, and non-Apis species. Research and extension personnel will meet annually to discuss coordination and will form subgroups that will coordinate or collaborate on research throughout the year. Extension personnel will coordinate in technology transfer and adoption of research findings to beekeepers.
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