[Pollinator] USDA Announces Colony Collapse Disorder Research Action Plan

[Ladadams at aol.com]

Subject: USDA Announces Colony Collapse Disorder Research Action Plan



To view this article online, visit
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2007news/ccd.html. 



USDA Announces Colony Collapse Disorder Research Action Plan



WASHINGTON, July 13, 2007 - U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary
for Research, Education and Economics Gale Buchanan today announced that
USDA researchers have finalized an action plan for dealing with colony
collapse disorder (CCD) of honey bees. The plan can be read at
www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/ccd/ccd_actionplan.pdf
<http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2007news/www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/cc
d/ccd_actionplan.pdf> .



"There were enough honey bees to provide pollination for U.S. agriculture
this year, but beekeepers could face a serious problem next year and
beyond," Buchanan said. "This action plan provides a coordinated framework
to ensure that all of the research that needs to be done is covered in order
to get to the bottom of the CCD problem."



The action plan coordinates the federal strategy in response to CCD. It
addresses four main components: (1) survey and data collection needs; (2)
analysis of samples to determine the prevalence of various pests and
pathogens, exposure to pesticides, or other unusual factors; (3) controlled
experiments to carefully analyze the potential causes of CCD; and (4)
developing new methods to improve the general health of bees to reduce their
susceptibility to CCD and other disorders.



Four possible causes for CCD are identified in the plan: (1) new or
reemerging pathogens, (2) new bee pests or parasites, (3) environmental
and/or nutritional stress, or (4) pesticides. Research will focus on
determining which of these factors are contributing causes of CCD, either
individually or in combination.



CCD became apparent as a problem beginning in the winter of 2006-2007 when
some beekeepers began reporting losses of 30-90 percent of their hives.
While colony losses are not unexpected during winter weather, the magnitude
of loss suffered by some beekeepers was highly unusual.



There is currently no recognizable underlying cause for CCD. The main
symptom is finding no or a low number of adult honey bees present with no
dead honey bees in the hive. Often there is still honey in the hive and
immature bees (brood) are present.



Pollination is a critical element in agriculture, as honey bees pollinate
more than 130 crops in the United States and add $15 billion in crop value
annually.



The research action plan was developed by a CCD Steering Committee, chaired
by Kevin Hackett, USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) national
program leader for bees and pollination; H.J. Rick Meyer, national program
leader for plant and animal systems for USDA's Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service (CSREES); and Mary Purcell-Miramontes,
national program leader for biobased pest management, entomology and
nematology for CSREES. The committee also included other federal and
university experts.



Even before the completion of this research plan, considerable research
efforts have begun to be redirected to deal with CCD.



#



Media Contacts:

Jennifer Martin (202) 720-8188
Kim Kaplan (301) 504-1637



This article is a service of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education,
and Extension Service. News on other topics can be found on the CSREES
newsroom at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/news.html.
 
Laurie Davies Adams
Executive Director
Coevolution Institute
423 Washington St. 5th
San Francisco, CA 94111
415 362 1137
LDA at coevolution.org
_http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) 
_http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) 
_http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) 

Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week:  June 24-30, 2007.  Contact us 
for more information at www.pollinator.org 

Our future flies on the wings of pollinators.



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