Search Results

Crop Pollination in Greenhouses

José M. Guerra-Sanz

in Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems

This chapter describes the need for pollination in greenhouses due to its special agro-ecological conditions and unique constraints. The advantages that greenhouses hold for both achieving ... More

This chapter describes the need for pollination in greenhouses due to its special agro-ecological conditions and unique constraints. The advantages that greenhouses hold for both achieving pollination of particular crops and for safeguarding managed pollinators are compared with open air cultures. The traits of the two main greenhouse pollinators — bumble bees and honey bees — are discussed according to their relevance for pollination in this horticultural system. Finally, some examples of pollination of greenhouse cultures and predictions for the future development of pollination in greenhouses are described.Less

Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Biocontrol: New Alliances Between Old Friends

Peter G. Kevan, Jean-Pierre Kapongo, Mohammad Al-mazra'awi, and Les Shipp

in Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems

Pollinator Biocontrol Vector Technology is a novel application strategy using bees for the delivery of microbial control agents. This technology has been demonstrated for the control of seed set in ... More

Pollinator Biocontrol Vector Technology is a novel application strategy using bees for the delivery of microbial control agents. This technology has been demonstrated for the control of seed set in weeds, suppression of plant diseases and control of insect pests. For this multi-disciplinary approach to be successful, many factors must be considered such as efficacy against the target pests, vector safety, formulation of the inoculum, inoculum dispenser design, and environmental and human safety. Pollinator Biocontrol Vector Technology is a new, reduced risk pest management tool that reduces pesticide use and improves crop pollination resulting in increased yield and crop quality.Less

The Problem of Disease When Domesticating Bees

Rosalind R. James

in Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems

When disease strikes a hive of bees, it can devastate the colony and spread to the entire beekeeping operation. All bees are susceptible to diseases, and when they are domesticated, their population ... More

When disease strikes a hive of bees, it can devastate the colony and spread to the entire beekeeping operation. All bees are susceptible to diseases, and when they are domesticated, their population densities increase to suit human needs, making them more susceptible. Most attempts at disease control have centered on either drug treatments or destroying affected colonies. This chapter discusses how disease control strategies could be improved by first developing a better understanding of the disease-cycle, and in particular, developing knowledge of the disease triangle, allowing researchers to identify that time and place in the management system for which the pathogen is most vulnerable, followed by targeting treatments to that stage.Less

Environmental Impact of Exotic Bees Introduced for Crop Pollination

Carlos H. Vergara

in Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems

This chapter reviews currently available information on the success of introduced pollinators, their effects on native ecosystems, and examines the viability of using native pollinators to prevent ... More

This chapter reviews currently available information on the success of introduced pollinators, their effects on native ecosystems, and examines the viability of using native pollinators to prevent unnecessary introductions of exotic species. Exotic species of bees have been introduced to different countries as crop pollinators. Well-known examples are the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) and several species of bumble bees (Bombus spp.). In most cases, these imports have been done without prior assessment of possible negative impacts of the pollinators on native ecosystems. Other species have been accidentally introduced, or introduced for purposes other than pollination of crops. The best known of such introductions is the African honey bee, imported to Brazil in the 1950s. African honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata) have become important pollinators of crops like coffee or avocado in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.Less

Estimating the Potential for Bee-Mediated Gene Flow in Genetically Modified Crops

James E. Cresswell

in Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems

This chapter considers methods for quantifying the importance of bees in pollinating a crop and in producing field-to-field cross-pollination and gene flow. Simple theoretical models are presented ... More

This chapter considers methods for quantifying the importance of bees in pollinating a crop and in producing field-to-field cross-pollination and gene flow. Simple theoretical models are presented whose parameters identify key governing influences on bee pollination. The values of some parameters are known, particularly in systems involving honey bees and bumble bees, and their implications for the confinement of genetically-modified crops are discussed. Specific parameters whose values are unknown are identified as targets for future work.Less

The Future of Agricultural Pollination

Rosalind R. James and Theresa L. Pitts-Singer

in Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems

This chapter summarizes how agricultural production and bees are inter-dependent. Honey bees are the most commonly used agricultural pollinators in the world, but are threatened by an increasing ... More

This chapter summarizes how agricultural production and bees are inter-dependent. Honey bees are the most commonly used agricultural pollinators in the world, but are threatened by an increasing number of hive pests. In addition, not all crops are well pollinated by honey bees (e.g., tomatoes, alfalfa seed, and crops grown in greenhouses and under row covers). Fortunately, the world holds a huge diversity of bee species, although only a few of these are managed specifically as crop pollinators. Wild bees provide pollination services that often go unnoticed, yet are critical to the success of some forms of agriculture. The impact that bees have on our food production systems should serve as a reminder to our dependence, in general, on the ecosystems around us.Less

Anatomy of a Honey Trap

Marjorie Garber

in Loaded Words

Supporters of WikiLeaks proprietor Julian Assange protested his arrest in Sweden on sexual charges as a classic “honey trap”—a sting operation in which an attractive person is used to entrap or ... More

Supporters of WikiLeaks proprietor Julian Assange protested his arrest in Sweden on sexual charges as a classic “honey trap”—a sting operation in which an attractive person is used to entrap or coerce a target. In this case, the claim is that two Swedish women used sex as a way of trapping Assange. “Honey trap” is a phrase more familiar in Britain than the United States, and its connection with sting seems more than coincidental. The honeybee has long been associated in literature and political philosophy with a model of human society—from Virgil's Georgics to Bernard Mandeville's Fable of the Bees to Leo Tolstoy and Karl Marx. But although the term “honey trap” was originally associated with espionage, the Oxford English Dictionary says that it is now onw which is found “especially in journalism.”Less

Other Living Beings

Mary Douglas

in Leviticus as Literature

The Leviticus writer finds the world divided into two kinds of humans, those under the covenant, and the rest, and two kinds of land animals, those under the covenant and the rest; but the rest are ... More

The Leviticus writer finds the world divided into two kinds of humans, those under the covenant, and the rest, and two kinds of land animals, those under the covenant and the rest; but the rest are not evil, the picture is not painted in black and white – it was the work of the later commentators to read good and bad into the divisions between pure and impure. In the book of Leviticus only land animals (but most land animals) are unclean or defiling. For covenant some territorial principle, or at least ownership, is necessary; creatures of the air and water are not named as specifically unclean, although a separate set of rules forbids touching their dead carcasses, backed by the word translated as ‘abominable’. Taking this difference seriously has produced a completely new reading of Leviticus: Jacob Milgrom has argued from close perusal of the text that ‘impurity’ and ‘abomination’ in the book cannot be equivalent terms as they trigger different sequences of action, and this puts a very different complexion on previous commentaries that have tried to combine Deuteronomy 14 and Leviticus 11. This topic is explored further in this chapter, in which the different sections discuss: God’s care for his creation; the translation of ‘swarming’ as ‘teeming’ (in the sense of the positivity of fertility); leaven and honey as teeming life; the translation of abomination; creatures that swarm in the air; and competition in holiness in confrontation with other religions – in which the place of animals might become a sellingpoint for Judaism.Less

Honey bee life history plasticity: Development, behavior, and aging

Brenda Rascón, Navdeep S. Mutti, Christina Tolfsen, and Gro V. Amdam

in Mechanisms of Life History Evolution: The Genetics and Physiology of Life History Traits and Trade-Offs

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) females differentiate into distinct castes during development: the primary reproductive queen and the essentially sterile worker. Workers are characterized by complex ... More

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) females differentiate into distinct castes during development: the primary reproductive queen and the essentially sterile worker. Workers are characterized by complex social behaviour. They move through a series of tasks, beginning with nursing brood, and culminating with intense flight activity and foraging behaviour. Worker life history progression is flexible, and is affected by social environment as well as genotype. Nutritional and sensory signalling cascades mediate behavioural, physiological, and metabolic changes in workers that translate into a largely plastic pattern of aging. This chapter reviews evolutionary and mechanistic insights about worker bee life history regulation from early development and well into senescence. It contrasts these findings to life history control in Drosophila melanogaster and outlines how aging plasticity can be better understood through an experimental synthesis of two model systems: honey bees and fruit flies.Less

From microscope to telescope: the films of Tony Richardson

B. F. Taylor

in The British New Wave: A Certain Tendency?

This chapter considers Tony Richardson's contribution to British New Wave. Richardson's first film Look Back in Anger (1959), despite its faults, was important for the development of ‘a style to the ... More

This chapter considers Tony Richardson's contribution to British New Wave. Richardson's first film Look Back in Anger (1959), despite its faults, was important for the development of ‘a style to the purposes of the piece’. Look Back in Anger is an interesting film for many reasons. It represents the beginning of Richardson's efforts to establish a new and separate position within the British film industry. The film also helped to generate a new series of critical debates about the development of a British cinematic style, or the lack of it. The film also became allied with other films trying to do similar things, such as Clayton's Room at the Top. It can best be characterised by the extremity of shot scale deployed to show the claustrophobic relationship between Alison and Jimmy, and the construction of The Entertainer demonstrates a willingness to move out from this extreme proximity. Richardson's four films from this period need to be seen as indicative of a talent being developed rather than the achievements of a director at the height of his creative ability.Less

The Scrape of Metaphor

Shadi Bartsch

in Persius: A Study in Food, Philosophy, and the Figural

Metaphor was characterized in ancient rhetorical theory as a “sweet” figure and a source of pleasure to readers and listeners. Both Lucretius and Horace refer to this pleasure when they defend the ... More

Metaphor was characterized in ancient rhetorical theory as a “sweet” figure and a source of pleasure to readers and listeners. Both Lucretius and Horace refer to this pleasure when they defend the pedagogic value of their poetry: in offering something sweet, their poetry manages to get us to accept its serious teaching as well. Persius, however, abjures any concession to the pleasure of the reader; his verse, we hear, is full of the acris iunctura, the “harsh joining.” While some scholars have taken this to be a reference to word order in his verse and the presence of elision, it is more likely to be a characterization of Persius’ use of metaphor, which violates all the ancient standards for producing a figure that is sweet, appropriate, and not too far-fetched. The Satires are thus a poetry of displeasure, and this is part of their philosophical goal.Less

A Day in the Life of a Sacred Snake

Daniel Ogden

in Drakōn: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds

Chapter 10 tries to make sense of the confusing traditions of the keeping and exploitation of actual snakes in some of the shrines of the anguiform gods. The evidence embraces two quite different ... More

Chapter 10 tries to make sense of the confusing traditions of the keeping and exploitation of actual snakes in some of the shrines of the anguiform gods. The evidence embraces two quite different practices: on the one hand the (probably fictitious) maintenance, typically by priestesses, of individual great unseen serpents, as in the cases of the Athenian oikouros ophis, Sosipolis in Elea, the Juno Sospita serpent at Lanuvium and the serpent of Metelis in Egypt; and on the other the maintenance of colonies of real snakes, this being associated primarily, but not exclusively, with Asclepian sanctuaries. Such snakes will usually have lived, unconfined, in the sanctuaries’ sacred groves, but will have been wrangled with baskets. The snakes could not have eaten the honey cakes that served as their symbolic food, and were probably maintained rather with eggs. As Asclepius’ patients incubated, sanctuary staff, who may have included women, would have done the rounds with the snakes, applying their mouths to the body-parts affected, for a lick or a gentle bite. The variety most likely to have been exploited in this regard is the large but phlegmatic rat snake, the Four-lined snake, Elaphe quatuorlineata. Some striking modern comparanda demonstrate the general viability of this sort of reconstruction.Less

Information Requests

James G. Mendez

in A Great Sacrifice: Northern Black Soldiers, Their Families, and the Experience of Civil War

With a lot more northern black men in the military, the everyday effects of the war suddenly affected many more black families. Whatever affected the soldiers would eventually reach their love ones, ... More

With a lot more northern black men in the military, the everyday effects of the war suddenly affected many more black families. Whatever affected the soldiers would eventually reach their love ones, whether it was reduced pay or the lack of it, battle wounds, capture by the enemy, or death while serving. The letters in 1864, much more so than those in 1863, display these concerns, but with greater intensity, as well as frequency. Families were always sensitive to the whereabouts of their soldiers, and when they did not hear from their soldiers for long periods of time—usually after making numerous attempts through letters to reach him—they made inquiries to Union officials. Throughout the war, these types of letters were the most common from northern families, especially since the resulting uncertainty of not knowing the whereabouts and well being of their soldiers caused much distress to family members.Less

Learning like Bees

Marianne E. Krasny and Keith G. Tidball

in Civic Ecology: Adaptation and Transformation from the Ground Up

When people engage in civic ecology practices, they have multiple opportunities to learn about the environment and their community--about ecological processes and social processes. The notion of ... More

When people engage in civic ecology practices, they have multiple opportunities to learn about the environment and their community--about ecological processes and social processes. The notion of social learning—or learning through interaction with others—captures one type of learning in civic ecology practices. In addition, civic ecology stewards learn through interacting with the environment. For example, through measuring the survival and mortality of trees they have planted, civic ecology stewards may learn about effective tree planting practices. What one learns depends on the match between an individual’s skillset and the environment and community that surround that individual. The term “ecology of learning” captures the idea of learning that occurs through multiple interactions between the learner and his/her surroundings. Through these interactions not only does the individual learn or change, the environment surrounding the learner may also be altered.Less

Synthesis and conclusions

Andrew F. G. Bourke

in Principles of Social Evolution

A major conclusion of this book is that each stage in a major transition involves common principles of social evolution acting in analogous ways at the different hierarchical levels. Evidence ... More

A major conclusion of this book is that each stage in a major transition involves common principles of social evolution acting in analogous ways at the different hierarchical levels. Evidence supporting this conclusion comes from numerous taxa, including bacteria, plants, colonial marine invertebrates, eusocial Hymenoptera (e.g., ants, honey bees), termites, birds, mammals with cooperative breeding, and the eusocial Naked mole-rat. It also comes from several levels within both the egalitarian and the fraternal transitions. Another major conclusion is that, in the evolution of multicellularity and eusociality, the size–complexity hypothesis provides a potentially powerful explanation for how and why social group transformation occurs. Nonetheless, many open questions remain in the study of social evolution and the major transitions. The evolution of unicoloniality in ants involves the evolution of societies, and in this sense represents the next step in the hierarchy of fraternal transitions.Less

If You Believe

Stephen Citron

in Jerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune

This chapter focuses on the determination of American composer and lyricist Jerry Herman to succeed despite the failure of Parade, highlighting the success of his musical Milk and Honey, which opened ... More

This chapter focuses on the determination of American composer and lyricist Jerry Herman to succeed despite the failure of Parade, highlighting the success of his musical Milk and Honey, which opened in November 1961 and was his Broadway debut as a composer-lyricist. It also mentions that Milk and Honey was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Musical and discusses the success of the 1964 musical Hello Dolly!.Less

Milk and Honey

Stephen Citron

in Jerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune

This chapter examines the genesis and inspiration for Jerry Herman's musical Milk and Honey. It explains that there are different versions about the origins of the musical, including suggestions from ... More

This chapter examines the genesis and inspiration for Jerry Herman's musical Milk and Honey. It explains that there are different versions about the origins of the musical, including suggestions from Priscilla Morgan and librettist Don Appell. The chapter discusses Herman and Appell's travel to Israel to observe life there, where they were impressed the kibbutzim, the thriving farms, and desert settlements, and also describes Herman's musical Madame Aphrodite.Less

“Only Available in Shanghai”: The Honey Nectar Peach and the Idea of Shanghai in Late Imperial China

in Culinary Nostalgia: Regional Food Culture and the Urban Experience in Shanghai

This chapter is concerned with the importance of peaches to the idea of Shanghai, whose gardens and their finest product—the honey nectar peach—put Shanghai culture on the map. The development of the ... More

This chapter is concerned with the importance of peaches to the idea of Shanghai, whose gardens and their finest product—the honey nectar peach—put Shanghai culture on the map. The development of the region's salt industry was a major turning point in Huating, and later Shanghai, history. Cotton heightened the commercialization of the Shanghai region. The reputation of Shanghai peaches and gardens arose with the gazetteer knowledge trail. The Treatise on the Honey Nectar Peach by Chu Hua supports the techniques employed in Shanghai to grow a successful crop, emphasizing that peaches were different from other fruit trees and presented growers with a unique set of challenges. Chen Wenshu noted that the peach had not previously been the subject of a botanical monograph. Chen's allusions put forth the idea that Shanghai had indeed become a “microcosm” of the Chinese realm, and of “the universe itself.”Less