Healthy Bee, Sick Bee [electronic resource] : The Influence of Parasites, Pathogens, Predators and Pesticides on Honey Bees

Imprint
Chicago : Victoria University Press, 2021.
Physical description
1 online resource (202 p.)

Online

Available online

Report a connection problem

More options

Description

Creators/Contributors

Author/Creator
Lester, Phil, 1969- author.

Contents/Summary

Contents
  • Introduction. What kills honey bees?
  • 1. The life history of bees. Democratic decisions and the occasional coup d'état
  • 2. Varroa destructor: The vampire mite A parasite that gives (viruses) as well as takes (blood and fat)
  • 3. Viruses. Manmade, global pandemics in our favourite insect species
  • 4. American foulbrood. My hive smells fishy - now I'm obliged to burn my bees
  • 5. Pathogens. Fungal, trypanosomatid and other parasites and pathogens
  • 6. Pesticides. How do neonicotinoids, Roundup, organic pesticides and other chemicals affect honey bees?
  • 7. Predators. Ants, small hive beetles, hornets, wasps - and a plethora of other predators
  • 8. The future. A lot of things affect bee health - and sometimes populations collapse
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Index.
Publisher's summary
Phil Lester's first book, The Vulgar Wasp, was about one of the world's most hated insects. His second is about just the opposite - the honey bee, arguably one of our best-loved six-legged creatures. People have revered honey bees for centuries. Today we celebrate them with toys, postage stamps and campaigns to raise awareness; we dress up in large bee suits to protest the use of pesticides; we've even sent bees into space and watched as they adjusted to microgravity. Bees are one of the world's most efficient pollinators. Their work is vital to the success of many food crops, and hence to the world's economy. So we need to take seriously any threats to their health - including parasites, pathogens, predators and pesticides - and, guided by evidence at every turn, find a way to minimise harm and keep bees thriving. As Healthy Bee, Sick Bee shows, this is no small task.In this book, entomologist Phil Lester explores the wonderfully complex and sometimes brutally efficient life history of honey bees, and the problems they face in New Zealand and around the globe. What causes a beehive to collapse? Are pesticides as big a problem as they appear? What can we do to improve the health?
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

Bibliographic information

Publication date
2021
Note
Description based upon print version of record.
ISBN
1776563743
9781776563746 (electronic bk.)
Librarian view | Catkey: 14280600