University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Bees in nature and on the farm / Theresa L. Pitts-Singer and Rosalind R. James -- Crop pollination services from wild bees / Claire Kremen -- Crop pollination in greenhouses / Jos�e M. Guerra-Sanz -- Pollinating bees crucial to farming wildflower seed for U.S. habitat restoration / James H. Cane -- Honey bees, bumble bees, and biocontrol: new alliances between old friends / Peter G. Kevan [and others] -- Life cycle ecophysiology of osmia mason bees used as crop pollinators / Jordi Bosch, Fabio Sgolastra, and William P. Kemp -- Past and present management of alfalfa bees / Theresa L. Pitts-Singer -- The problem of disease when domesticating bees / Rosalind R. James -- Environmental impact of exotic bees introduced for crop pollination / Carlos H. Vergara -- Invasive exotic plant-bee interactions / Karen Goodell -- Estimating the potential for bee-mediated gene flow in genetically modified crops / James E. Cresswell -- Genetically modified crops: effects on bees and pollination / Lora A. Morandin -- The future of agricultural pollination / Rosalind R. James and Theresa L. Pitts-Singer.

"Bees play a vital role as pollinators for countless agricultural crops as they engage in a dynamic relationship with the plant species they visit and the ecosystems that contain them. In this volume, Rosalind R. James and Theresa L. Pitts-Singer, joined by a team of expert authors, detail the interplay of bees, agriculture, and the environment." "As bees pass pollen from one plant to the next, they impact the broader ecosystem in complex ways. They can enhance the unintentional spread of genes from genetically engineered plants. They may increase the spread of invasive weeds, but are in turn affected by the plants they pollinate. Transporting bees from native ranges to new areas for pollination services can be problematic and should be done only after assuring that such moves will not disrupt various ecosystems. Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems covers the factors that need to be accounted for in managing bees for pollination; the book includes the natural history, physiology, pathology, and behavior of these intriguing insects."--BOOK JACKET.