Letter From The Honey Bee Health Coalition
October 16, 2014
The Honorable Thomas Vilsack The Honorable Regina McCarthy
Secretary Administrator
U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Office of the Administrator – 1101A
Washington, DC 20250 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
Dear Mr. Secretary and Madam Administrator,
As leaders charged by the President to coordinate federal efforts to research,
prevent, and recover from pollinator losses, you know that a lot rides on the health of
the honey bee. You are in a unique position to help safeguard global food production,
North American agriculture, and healthy ecosystems across the world, which is why
we want to work with you to improve honey bee health.
The Honey Bee Health Coalition is one of the largest and most diverse groups of
stakeholders representing more than 30 organizations working across food,
agriculture, government, and conservation to reverse recent declines in honey bee
health and promote their long-term health and the health of other pollinators. By
coordinating together on key priorities we can include a broader set of stakeholders
and achieve our mutual goals faster, with greater impact, and do so more cost
effectively.
To that end, the Coalition issued the attached Bee Healthy Roadmap outlining steps
for working together to improve honey bee health that will accomplish more than any
one group can achieve on its own. The Coalition is committed to developing explicit
goals, milestones and metrics to measure improvements in honey bee health. We’re
working to achieve Healthy Honey Bees, Healthy People, and a Healthy Planet and
we set ourselves four priority areas that need collective, science-based action:
• Put the best available tools, techniques, and technologies in the hands of
beekeepers so they can better manage their hives. As noted in the Presidential
Memorandum creating a federal strategy to promote the health of honey bees and
other pollinators, we need ‘…expanded collection and sharing of data related to
pollinator losses [and] technologies for continuous monitoring of honey bee hive
health… and new cost-effective ways to control bee pests and diseases.’ Therefore,
the Coalition aims to support on-the ground efforts underway to provide beekeepers
with monitoring and expert advice and analyses to best manage hive health, as well
as to promote development of new products and use of best practices for varroa mite
control.
• Ensure honey bees – especially those in and around production agriculture –
have access to a varied and nutritious diet. Our work aligns with the Pollinator
Health Task Force focus on pollinator-friendly seed mixes and habitats. The Coalition
is working on how to prioritize where forage is needed, what plants are needed, and
at what times – and on public-private strategies to meet nutritional needs.
Steering Committee.honeybeehealthcoalition.org
• Control crop pests while safeguarding pollinator health. The Coalition is
promoting best practices to safeguard honey bee health and exploring opportunities to
promote and improve reporting of honey bee health incidents related to crop pest
control. These activities align with the Task Force’s work toward ‘identification of
existing and new methods and best practices to reduce pollinator exposure to
pesticides.’
• Work together to improve honey bee health. In alignment with the Task
Force’s emphasis on public-private partnerships, the Coalition is promoting publicprivate
collaboration across diverse stakeholders, including State and and local
governments, farmers, corporations, and nongovernmental organizations.
Together we can collaboratively implement solutions among food, agriculture, government,
and conservation partners. Together we can achieve a healthy population of honey bees as
well as healthy populations of native and managed pollinators. Together we can ensure
healthy, sustainable agriculture and healthy ecosystems, and healthy ecosystem services for
years to come.
Knowing that the Coalition can’t improve honey bee health on its own, we want to provide
you with this Roadmap to share the priorities we’ve identified and ask for your input and
feedback so that we can effectively work with you, as appropriate, to achieve our mutual
goals. We would like to schedule some time for members of the Coalition to meet with you to
review this Roadmap in the coming weeks. Would the first or second week of November be a
convenient time? If not, please suggest a time that would. I can be reached at (970) 513-5830
or jshapiro@keystone.org to coordinate on scheduling or to provide further information.
Sincerely,
The Honey Bee Health Coalition Steering Committee:
Pete Berthelson, Pheasants Forever; Zac Browning, Browning Honey Co.; David Epstein, USDA Pest Mgt. Policy; George Hansen, ABF; Gerald Hayes, Monsanto; Christi Heintz, PAM; Bill Kuckuck, Croplife America; Robert Sears, East MS Beekeepers; Ed Spevak, St. Louis Zoo; Thomas Steeger, EPA; Dale Thorenson, US Canola Ass’n; Maria Trainer, CropLife Canada; Dennis vanEngelsdorp U MD; Richard Waycolt, Almond Board CA.
Steering Committee
p.p.
Julie Shapiro
Facilitator, Honey Bee Health Coalition &
Senior Associate, The Keystone Center
CC:
Dr. Ann Bartuska, Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, USDA
Mr. Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, U.S. EPA
Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA
Dr. Melinda Cep, Special Assistant, Office of the Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, USDA
