You are here:
Developing a Commercial Bumble Bee Clean Stock Certification Program: A white paper by members of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Bombus Task Force
Citation:
Strange, J., S. Colla, M. Duennes, E. Evans, L. Figueroa, D. Inouye, D. Lehmann, H. Moylett, L. Richardson, B. Sadd, AND A. Tripodi. Developing a Commercial Bumble Bee Clean Stock Certification Program: A white paper by members of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Bombus Task Force. Pollinator Partnership, San Francisco, CA, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
The commercial production and subsequent movement of bumblebees for pollination of agricultural field and greenhouse crops is a growing industry in North America and globally. Concerns have been raised about the impacts of pathogen spillover from managed bees to wild pollinators, including from commercial bumblebees. This white paper discusses developing a program to mitigate disease risk in commercial bumblebee production, which will in turn reduce disease stressors on wild pollinators and other insects.
Description:
The commercial production and subsequent movement of bumblebees for pollination of agricultural field and greenhouse crops is a growing industry in North America and globally. Concerns have been raised about the impacts of pathogen spillover from managed bees to wild pollinators, including from commercial bumblebees. This white paper discusses developing a program to mitigate disease risk in commercial bumblebee production, which will in turn reduce disease stressors on wild pollinators and other insects. We give an overview of what is known about bumble bee symbionts and methods for their detection, quantification, and control. We also provide information on assessment of risk for select bumble bee symbionts and highlight key knowledge gaps. Finally, we provide recommendations for a clean stock program with specific best management practices for commercial bumble bees including related products such as wax and pollen.