9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

The Plight of the Honey Bee: An Awakening

What started as a wake up call for the honey bee industry and fruit growers has turned out to be a warning for our global community. Colony Collapse Disorder (CDC) is responsible for a precipitous decline in honey bees across the U.S. and Europe. Many other pollinators, and the plants that reply upon them, appear to be threatened as well. What is CDC? Is it here to stay? Can it be cured?

• Learn from the honey bee: its biology and its recent plight
• Examine CDC causes and controls, including pesticides and other causative agents
• Explore the implications of CDC and take away ideas for how the green industry can help
  

Frank Drummond, Ph.D.
School of Biology and Ecology
University of Maine
Orono, ME