Overview

For many agricultural crops, bees play a vital role as pollinators, and this book discusses the interplay among bees, agriculture, and the environment. Although honey bees are well recognized as pollinators, managed bumble bees and solitary bees are also critical for the successful pollination of certain crops, while wild bees provide a free service. As bees liberally pass pollen from one plant to the next, they also impact the broader ecosystem, and not always to the benefit of humankind. Bees can enhance the unintentional spread of genes from genetically engineered plants, and may increase the spread of invasive weeds. Conversely, genetically engineered plants can impact pollinators, and invasive weeds can supply new sources of food for these insects. Bees' flower-visiting activities also can be exploited to help spread biological control agents that control crop pests, and they are important for native plant reproduction. Managing bees for pollination is complex and the factors that must be taken into consideration are treated here, including bee natural history, physiology, pathology, and behavior. Furthermore, transporting bees from native ranges to new areas for pollination services can be controversial, and needs to be done only after assuring that it will not disrupt various ecosystems. Even though bees are small, unobtrusive creatures, they play large roles in the ecosystem. The connection between bees and humankind also is symbolic of a broader interconnection between humans and the natural world.

Full Product Details

Author:   Rosalind James (Research Entomologist, USDA, Bee Biology and Systematics Lab, Research Entomologist, USDA, Bee Biology and Systematics Lab, Utah State University, Logan) ,  Theresa L. Pitts-Singer
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 23.60cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 15.70cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780195316957

ISBN 10:   0195316959
Pages:   248
Publication Date:   28 August 2008
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Christopher O'Toole PART 1: BEE-PROVIDED DELIVERY SERVICES 1: Theresa L. Pitts-Singer and Rosalind R. James: Bees in Nature and on the Farm 2: Claire Kremen: Crop Pollination Services from Wild Bees 3: Jose M. Guerra-Sanz: Crop Pollination in Greenhouses 4: James H. Cane: Pollinating Bees Crucial to Farming Wildflower Seed for U.S. Habitat Restoration 5: Peter G. Kevan, Jean-Pierre Kapongo, Mohammad Al-mazra'awi, and Les Shipp: Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Biocontrol: New Alliances Between Old Friends PART 2: MANAGING SOLITARY BEES 6: Jordi Bosch, Fabio Sgolastra,and William P. Kemp: Life Cycle Ecophysiology Osmia Mason Bees Used as Crop Pollinators 7: Theresa L. Pitts-Singer: Past and Present Management of Alfalfa Bees 8: Rosalind R. James: The Problem of Disease When Domesticating Bees PART 3: ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH BEES 9: Carlos H. Vergara: Environmental Impact of Exotic Bees Introduced for Crop Pollination 10: Karen Goodell: Invasive Exotic Plant-Bee Interactions 11: James E. Cresswell: Estimating the Potential for Bee-Mediated Gene Flow in Genetically-Modified Crops 12: Lora A. Morandin: Genetically Modified Crops: Effects on Bees and Pollination 13: Rosalind R. James and Theresa L. Pitts-Singer: The Future of Agricultural Pollination

Reviews

<br>Listed in Ecology<p><br> This book will go a long way toward keeping non-Apis bees in the limelight. It represents a compendium of the latest thinking on the issues surrounding the place of wild bees in sustainable agriculture. I highly recommend it for readers interested in the public conversation on bee decline and pollination. --Keith S. Delaplane, The Quarterly Review of Biology<p><br>

Listed in Ecology This book will go a long way toward keeping non-Apis bees in the limelight. It represents a compendium of the latest thinking on the issues surrounding the place of wild bees in sustainable agriculture. I highly recommend it for readers interested in the public conversation on bee decline and pollination. --Keith S. Delaplane, The Quarterly Review of Biology

<br>Listed in Ecology<br> This book will go a long way toward keeping non-Apis bees in the limelight. It represents a compendium of the latest thinking on the issues surrounding the place of wild bees in sustainable agriculture. I highly recommend it for readers interested in the public conversation on bee decline and pollination. --Keith S. Delaplane, The Quarterly Review of Biology<br>

Author Information

Rosalind R. James is Research Leader of the USDA Agricultural Research Services Pollinating Insect Biology, Systematics, and Management Research Unit in Logan, Utah. Theresa L. Pitts-Singer is a Research Entomologist in the USDA Agricultural Research Services Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory in Logan, Utah.

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