 | Vanishing Bees: Science, Politics, and Honeybee Health Subjects: Colony collapse disorder of honeybees -- United States; Die-off (Zoology) -- United States; Insecticides industry -- United States; In 2005, beekeepers in the United States began observing a mysterious and disturbing phenomenon: once-healthy colonies of bees were suddenly collapsing, leaving behind empty hives full of honey and pollen. Over the following decade, widespread honeybee deaths--some of which have come to be called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)--have continued to bedevil beekeepers and threaten the agricultural industries that rely on bees for pollination. Scientists continue to debate the causes of CCD, yet there is no clear consensus on how to best solve the problem. Vanishing Bees takes us inside the debates over widespread honeybee deaths, introducing the various groups with a stake in solving the mystery of CCD, including beekeepers, entomologists, growers, agrichemical companies, and government regulators. Drawing from extensive interviews and first-hand observations, Sainath Suryanarayanan and Daniel Lee Kleinman examine how members of each group have acquired, disseminated, and evaluated knowledge about CCD. In addition, they explore the often-contentious interactions among different groups, detailing how they assert authority, gain trust, and build alliances. As it explores the contours of the CCD crisis, Vanishing Bees considers an equally urgent question: what happens when farmers, scientists, beekeepers, corporations, and federal agencies approach the problem from different vantage points and cannot see eye-to-eye? The answer may have profound consequences for every person who wants to keep fresh food on the table. SAINATH SURYANARAYANAN is an assistant scientist of biology and society in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology and in the Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. DANIEL LEE KLEINMAN is an associate dean of the Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is also a professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology. He is the author, editor, or coeditor of numerous books, including Impure Cultures: University Biology and the World of Commerce. |
