ABSTRACT
In spite of growing awareness of health and sustainability problems with bees, there is little scientific knowledge on the direct impacts of bee disorders on crop pollination. In the case of honey bees, a eusocial pollinator used widely in agriculture, disorders can affect pollination at any of three levels: (1) by impairing pollination efficacy of compromised individuals, (2) by impairing efficacy of compromised colonies, or (3) by reducing the availability of pollinators, that is, killing bee colonies. The available evidence suggests that honey bee disorders impact pollination through the simple agency of killing colonies; however, hypotheses should be framed and tested with different model bee disorders, different pollinator species, and different model plants. Answers to these questions will help identify appropriate research and response priorities. Should remedial action steer toward practices that maximize sheer colony numbers? Or should the emphasis rest on a more classical IPM approach in which within-colony pest levels and action thresholds play a more prominent role?
