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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > Invertebrates > Insects (entomology)
Bees, both commercially managed honey bees and wild bees, play an
important role in global food production. In the United States
alone, the value of insect pollination to U.S. agricultural
production is estimated at $16 billion annually, of which about
three-fourths is attributable to honey bees. Worldwide, the
contribution of bees and other insects to global crop production
for human food is valued at about $190 billion. Given the
importance of bees and other types of pollinators to food
production, many have expressed concern about whether a pollinator
crisis has been occurring in recent decades. Worldwide reports
indicate that populations of both managed honey bees and native
bees have been declining, with colony losses in some cases
described as severe or unusual. In Europe, managed honey bee colony
numbers have been declining since the mid-1960s, and individual
beekeepers have reported unusual weakening and mortality in
colonies, particularly during the period spanning winter through
spring. According to the United Nations, many insect pollinator
species may be becoming rarer, causing some to question whether
this is a sign of an overall global biodiversity decline. This book
examines selected U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies
bee-related monitoring, research and outreach, as well as
conservation efforts, and The Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) efforts to protect bees through its regulation of pesticides.
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