Managing Alternative Pollinators
A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers, and Conservationists
Good morning!
I received an e-mail announcing the availability of this publication yesterday. I took a quick look and I think that there's valuable and interesting information for giant pumpkin growers that have had pollination issues. It's available FREE as a download and there's print format available as well for $23.50 + $5.95 shipping and handling.
From the e-mail description:
"During the past 50 years, America has witnessed an almost 50 percent decline in the number of managed honey bee colonies. With two-thirds of the world's crops requiring pollination, beekeepers and growers are seeking pollination alternatives and ways to bring honey bees back from the brink.
Managing Alternative Pollinators: A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers and Conservationists is a first-of-its-kind, step-by-step, full-color guide for rearing and managing bumble bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees and other bee species that provide pollination alternatives to the rapidly declining honey bee.
Written by Eric Mader of the Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Program; Professor of Entomology Marla Spivak; and Elaine Evans, author of Befriending Bumble Bees, the book includes expert information on the business and biology of pollination, and how-to guidance on raising the alternative bee species.
The book is ideal for:
Beekeepers: Detailed information on each alternative pollinator's biology, disease, pest and chemical susceptibility, and step-by-step instructions on how to rear and manage.
Growers: Guidance for understanding the business of pollination, matching pollinators to crops, and deciding how best to pollinate for successful agriculture and pollinator protection.
Concerned Citizens: Easy-to-understand accounts of the honey bee's plight, the business of pollination, and what we all can do to protect pollinators and our food systems.
Download SARE's Managing Alternative Pollinators for free at www.sare.org/publications/pollinators.htm . To order print copies ($23.50 plus $5.95 s/h) visit www.sare.org/WebStore, call 301/374-9696 or write to SARE Outreach, PO Box 753, Waldorf, Maryland 20604-0753. (Please specify title requested when ordering by mail.) Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery. Call 301/374-9696 for more information on bulk, rush or international shipments."
