Delaplane And Mayer
CABI Publishing, New York, NY
2000, pp 344.
Price: $100., ISBN: 0-85199-448-2

K. Delaplane and D. Mayer have authored a well-balanced reference text, with a wide range of both old and new information which provides their target audience of "…agricultural consultants, extension specialists, plant and bee conservationists, crop-growers, beekeepers, and others with an interest in applied pollination." The authors cover all the important bases, discussing topics that provide their readers with a broad foundation in the basics of practical pollination, and a thorough summary of recent research on pollination requirements and methods of bee culture. Although similar in some ways to its predecessors (i.e., McGregor’s 1976 Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants, and J. B. Free’s 1993 Insect Pollination of Crops, 2nd ed.), to which the authors pay tribute, this book carves out its own niche, emphasizing recent research on pollination-related issues affecting agriculture in temperate climates.

Each chapter offers a solid and practical foundation for the topic at hand. For example, a chapter on Bee Pollination covers the essentials of pollination biology, raising all the critical issues necessary to ensure efficient pollination including compatibility among varieties and the proper design of orchards and other cropping systems. Of particular significance is the authors’ recommendation to plant breeders that the pollen- and nectar-producing abilities of crops be considered during the development of new varieties to ensure that they will be attractive to bees.

Several excellent chapters provide the reader with a wealth of information on the biology and culture of the various species of bees that play major roles in today’s cropping systems and for which effective management systems already have been developed. Chapters cover the basic biology and culture of the honey bee (Apis mellifera), bumble bees (Bombus spp.), the alkali bee (Nomia melanderi), orchard mason bees (Osmia spp.), and the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata). Although reading these chapters will not turn one into a skilled beekeeper overnight, each chapter provides enough information to demystify the culture of bees and to encourage anyone with sufficient interest to accept the challenge of raising his/her own populations of these bees for commercial purposes. The chapter on bumble bee culture is especially impressive, bringing together a considerable amount of information not readily available from other sources. For growers interested only in purchasing or renting bees for pollination, these chapters provide valuable information that will enable them to make the best selection for their particular crop and to obtain the maximum pollination benefit from whichever species of bee they select.

Reflecting the growing appreciation for the contribution that non-Apis bees make to pollination, Delaplane and Mayer devote a chapter to Bee Conservation. The authors identify conservation as the most cost-effective means of sustaining and increasing both the number and diversity of native pollinators, especially species for which well-developed management systems are lacking or impractical. Sensible measures for achieving these ends are discussed, and the authors’ audience should be motivated sufficiently to learn more about bee conservation and to begin to incorporate these measures into their daily practices and professional recommendations.

Thirty-six chapters are devoted to the pollination ecology of individual crops of importance to agriculture in the temperate-zone. A common format makes for easy reading, and the authors provide well-documented recommendations for both the type and density of pollinators required to ensure the maximum yield for each crop. These recommendations reflect a thoughtful summary of the benefits and limitations of the different species of pollinators.

Several appendices round out this book, providing information on bees and beekeeping suppliers, a sample pollination contract, and a list of pesticides and their toxicity to bees. If this book has a weakness, it is its brief treatment of Bees and Pesticides, which receives only a scant four pages. However, this shortcoming probably reflects the fact that Mayer has previously authored an excellent text devoted to just that subject and that still serves its audience well. All in all, Crop Pollination by Bees makes a most worthwhile addition to every agriculturist’s bookshelf.

Nicholas W. Calderone
Assistant Professor of Apiculture
Department of Entomology
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
American Entomologist
Vol. 47, No.2, Summer 2001