The future role of dwarf honeybees in natural and agricultural systems provides multidisciplinary perspective about the different facets of dwarf honeybees. The role of dwarf honeybee Apis florea assumes utmost importance in the context of pollinator decline throughout the world threatening stability of ecosystems and global food security. Apis florea is a low land species of south Asia extending more to the west than other Asiatic Apis species. It is an important pollinator of crops in hot and dry agricultural plains. The book is first of its kind which deals in details on varied aspects of Apis florea biology, management, conservation strategies for protecting biodiversity and enhancing crop productivity. The book aims to promote a large, diverse, sustainable, and dependable bee pollinator workforce that can meet the challenge for optimizing food production well into the 21st century. Features: Apis florea provides source of livelihood in mountainous areas and marginal farmers. This book will for the first time present the beekeeping from the perspective of agricultural production and biodiversity conservation An excellent source of advanced study material for academics, researchers and students and programme planners Excellent pollinator of tropical and subtropical crops fruits vegetables etc less prone to diseases and enemies Covering the latest information on various aspects of Apis florea biology, this book brings the latest advances together in a single volume for researchers and advanced level students This book will be useful to pollination biologists, honeybee biologists in entomology departments, students, teachers, scientists of agriculture, animal behaviour, botany, conservation, biology, ecology, entomology, environmental biology, forestry, genetics, plant breeding, horticulture, toxicology, zoology, seed growers and seed agencies and shall serve as reference book for students, teachers, researchers, extension functionaries and policy planners.

"The future role of dwarf honeybees in natural and agricultural systems provides multidisciplinary perspective about the different facets of dwarf honeybees. The role of dwarf honeybee Apis florea assumes utmost importance in the context of pollinator decline throughout the world threatening stability of ecosystems and global food security. Apis florea is a low land species of south Asia extending more to the west than other Asiatic Apis species. It is an important pollinator of crops in hot and dry agricultural plains. The book is first of its kind which deals in details on varied aspects of Apis florea biology, management, conservation strategies for protecting biodiversity and enhancing crop productivity. The book aims to promote a large, diverse, sustainable, and dependable bee pollinator workforce that can meet the challenge for optimizing food production well into the 21st century. Features: Apis florea provides source of livelihood in mountainous areas and marginal farmers. This book will for the first time present the beekeeping from the perspective of agricultural production and biodiversity conservation An excellent source of advanced study material for academics, researchers and students and programme planners Excellent pollinator of tropical and subtropical crops fruits vegetables etc less prone to diseases and enemies Covering the latest information on various aspects of Apis florea biology, this book brings the latest advances together in a single volume for researchers and advanced level students This book will be useful to pollination biologists, honeybee biologists in entomology departments, students, teachers, scientists of agriculture, animal behaviour, botany, conservation, biology, ecology, entomology, environmental biology, forestry, genetics, plant breeding, horticulture, toxicology, zoology, seed growers and seed agencies and shall serve as reference book for students, teachers, researchers, extension functionaries and policy planners"--

Role of Giant Honeybees in Natural and Agricultural Systems provides multidisciplinary perspective about the different facets of giant honeybees. Giant honeybees–Apis dorsata and Apis laboriosa are excellent pollinators of crops, fruits, and vegetables in cultivated and natural lanscapes. Their large size, long foraging range, and large work force make them the most spectacular of all honeybee species for crop pollination and honey production. Due to their decline, ecosystems and global food security are being threatened. This book is the first of its kind which deals in detail on varied aspects of giant honeybee biology, management, conservation strategies for protecting biodiversity and enhancing crop productivity. It aims to promote a large, diverse, sustainable, and dependable bee pollinator workforce that can meet the challenge for optimizing food production in 21st century. SALIENT FEATURES: Covers the latest information on various aspects of biology of giant honeybees and brings the latest advances together in a single volume for researchers and advanced level students Provides an excellent source of advanced study material for academics, researchers and students and programme planners Provides an excellent source of livelihood in mountainous areas and marginal farmers Deals with biology, management and conservation strategies for protecting biodiversity and enhancing crop productivity Excellent pollinator of tropical and subtropical crops, fruits, vegetables, etc. less prone to diseases and enemies This book will be useful for pollination biologists, honeybee biologists, scientists working in agriculture, animal behavior, conservation, biology, ecology, entomologists, environmental biologists, etc.

In this issue of Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice, Guest Editor Jeffery R. Applegate brings his considerable expertise to the topic of Honey Bee Veterinary Medicine. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as Apiculture, Diseases of the Honey Bee, Population Medicine, Immunology, Nutrition, and more. - Provides in-depth, reviews in Honey Bee Veterinary Medicine, providing actionable insights for veterinary practice. - Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field; Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create these timely topic-based reviews. - Contains 15 relevant, practice-oriented topics including Pesticides and the Impact on Honey Bees; Practical Applications in Honey Bee Genetics; Foreign Pests and Diseases as Potential Threats to North American Apiculture; Honey Bee Welfare and Standards of Humane Euthanasia; and more.

This book has a wider approach not strictly focused on crop production compared to other books that are strictly oriented towards bees, but has a generalist approach to pollination biology. It also highlights relationships between introduced and wild pollinators and consequences of such introductions on communities of wild pollinating insects. The chapters on biochemical basis of plant-pollination interaction, pollination energetics, climate change and pollinators and pollinators as bioindicators of ecosystem functioning provide a base for future insights into pollination biology. The role of honeybees and wild bees on crop pollination, value of bee pollination, planned honeybee pollination, non-bee pollinators, safety of pollinators, pollination in cages, pollination for hybrid seed production, the problem of diseases, genetically modified plants and bees, the role of bees in improving food security and livelihoods, capacity building and awareness for pollinators are also discussed.

Despite being the biggest group of organisms inhabiting Earth in both diversity and sheer numbers, insects are barely commercialized. Most of the standard textbooks of applied entomology talk about insect pest management, and when it comes to commercial aspects of insects, only apiculture, sericulture, and lac culture are talked about. This book will help bring other commercial uses of insects and their economic potential to the fore. This will generate interest in further research on the commercial potential of insects, thereby harnessing a much-found resource. The book has the following salient features: 1. Encompasses all major aspects of beneficial and commercial insects. 2. Deals with edible insects and mass culture of natural enemies and beneficial insects. 3. Emphasis on the mass cultivation of beneficial insects for obtaining yields. 4. Discusses stingless bees and their products. 5. Helps to solve the problem of food scarcity and improve food security.

Honey bees are social insects; they live together in large, well-organized family groups comprising three castes: queen (fertile female), workers (sterile females) and drones (males). During honey flow season, there is a considerable increase in the foraging activity of the workers and in the rate of egg laying by the queen. Sex determination in honey bees involves a multi-allelic locus, such that homozygotes develop as males and heterozygotes as females, whereas diet quality influences the caste determination in honey bees. Like all living organisms, honey bees can be infested with diseases and pests. Some of these are more deleterious to bee colonies than others, but it is important for the beekeeper to be able to recognize conditions that might be disease or pest-related and respond accordingly so as to improve the quality of honey and honey bee by-products. The best-known primary products of beekeeping are honey and wax, but pollen, propolis, royal jelly, venom, queens, bees and their larvae are also marketable primary bee products. The purpose of this book is to make available information on bee biology and beekeeping as well as to provide comprehensive information on manufacturing, processing and marketing of value-added bee products. This book has been designed as a useful tool for the many diverse professionals who characterize and market honey bee products, including beekeepers, non-beekeepers, small entrepreneurs, extension officers and those involved in small business development. This edited book will be the first of its kind to contain comprehensive information on both bees and bee products. Key Features: Contains comprehensive information on beekeeping. Discusses the recent advances in beekeeping. Sheds light on bee colony integration and organization. Contains brief information on honey bee products.

Bees provide a critical link in the maintenance of ecosystems, pollination. They play a major role in maintaining biodiversity, ensuring the survival of many plants, enhancing forest regeneration, providing sustainability and adaptation to climate change and improving the quality and quantity of agricultural production systems. In fact, close to 75 percent of the world’s crops that produce fruits and seeds for human consumption depend, at least in part, on pollinators for sustained production, yield and quality. Beekeeping, also called apiculture, refers to all activities concerned with the practical management of social bee species. These guidelines aim to provide useful information and suggestions for a sustainable management of bees around the world, which can then be applied to project development and implementation.

A unique and personal insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, their relationships with flowers, and their conservation in a rapidly changing world. The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a fundamentally important ecological function that supports both the natural world and human society. Without pollinators to facilitate the sexual reproduction of plants, the world would be a biologically poorer place in which to live, there would be an impact on food security, and human health would suffer. Written by one of the world’s leading pollination ecologists, this book provides an introduction to what pollinators are, how their interactions with flowers have evolved, and the fundamental ecology of these relationships. It explores the pollination of wild and agricultural plants in a variety of habitats and contexts, including urban, rural and agricultural environments. The author also provides practical advice on how individuals and organisations can study, and support, pollinators. As well as covering the natural history of pollinators and flowers, the author discusses their cultural importance, and the ways in which pollinator conservation has been portrayed from a political perspective. The book draws on field work experiences in South America, Africa, Australia, the Canary Islands and the UK. For over 30 years the author has spent his career researching how plants and pollinators evolve relationships, how these interactions function ecologically, their importance for society, and how we can conserve them in a rapidly changing world. This book offers a unique and personal insight into the science of pollinators and pollination, aimed at anyone who is interested in understanding these fascinating and crucial ecological interactions.

Pollinators-insects, birds, bats, and other animals that carry pollen from the male to the female parts of flowers for plant reproduction-are an essential part of natural and agricultural ecosystems throughout North America. For example, most fruit, vegetable, and seed crops and some crops that provide fiber, drugs, and fuel depend on animals for pollination. This report provides evidence for the decline of some pollinator species in North America, including America's most important managed pollinator, the honey bee, as well as some butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds. For most managed and wild pollinator species, however, population trends have not been assessed because populations have not been monitored over time. In addition, for wild species with demonstrated declines, it is often difficult to determine the causes or consequences of their decline. This report outlines priorities for research and monitoring that are needed to improve information on the status of pollinators and establishes a framework for conservation and restoration of pollinator species and communities.