Chairman Cardoza Statement (As Prepared for Delivery)

Thank you all for taking time from your very busy schedules to attend this important hearing to testify about the Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder.  I want to mention that there was one witness from my colleague Kevin McCarthy’s district who was unable to make it here today.  Mr. Larry Starrah, from Starrah Farms needed to stay home and work the farm.  We can’t blame him for putting his farm first. His testimony will be submitted for the record.

We are here today to hopefully shed some light on a troubling phenomenon. The purpose of this hearing is to examine the potential impact and possible causes of the Colony Collapse Disorder affecting Honey Bee Colonies across the U.S.  Throughout the country, Honey Bee Colonies are used for large-scale pollination of many crops. The unprecedented disappearance has alarmed farmers and scientists, and could cost American agriculture millions in lost revenues.

The sudden and unexpected drop off of honey bee pollinators was first brought to my attention early last year, when a number of almond growers in my home district in California’s Central Valley began to complain about the rapidly increasing costs of bee hives.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the almond business—it is a billion dollar crop in California whose survival hinges on the pollination from honey bees during the crop’s bloom cycle.

Growers were telling me that their honey bee hives were going for double—sometimes triple—what they had sold for just a year earlier.  These farmers were concerned for a number of reasons. First, as you would expect, this price spike created a significant and unanticipated financial strain. Secondly, and perhaps more relevant to today’s discussion, my constituents were very worried that this situation represented more than just a blip on the radar screen. They were concerned that it was a harbinger of bigger problems to come.

Unfortunately – as we now know - their concerns were not unfounded.  The 2006 honey bee population decline was not a blip on the screen, and was, in fact, a precursor to a larger national epidemic.

Only recently have leading pollinator researchers assigned a terminology for this phenomenon.  Researchers and industry have now termed this dramatic and unprecedented decline Colony Collapse Disorder.

Much of the current research into this massive decline is being conducted by Pennsylvania State University and the University Of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.  I am pleased that we will be hearing from distinguished researchers from both of these fine institutions during the first panel. 

We are very glad to have you, because it has become clear that we must focus more attention on this emerging crisis.

Colony losses occur when bees fail to return to their hives, which is very abnormal for honey bees. While some level of honey bee losses are not unusual, the suddenness and widespread nature of Colony Collapse Disorder is truly unprecedented.

Perhaps most disconcerting: no one seems to know exactly what is causing this phenomenon. Some theories include: parasites, mites or other pathogens, poor nutrition, and high stress levels among adult bees, or a combination of these and other unknown factors.

I am deeply committed to raising awareness of Colony Collapse Disorder and its possible effects on American agriculture.  Thousands of California farmers and beekeepers are dependant on honey bees for their livelihoods.  If we do not move swiftly to get to the bottom of this, I fear we will have an even more dramatic problem on our hands.

We must also be smart in how we address this problem.

I read somewhere that some in the industry are looking for upwards of $300 million to combat colony collapse disorder. It is important to avoid the temptation to identify a potential problem and simply throw millions of dollars at it.  Instead, through hearings like this one and future Congressional scrutiny, I am hopeful that we can identify exactly where limited research dollars will be most helpful in advancing our goal of preventing the further decline of the honey bee population.

To begin this closer examination of potential causes of and solutions to Colony Collapse Disorder, we have assembled two very distinguished panels today.  I want to take special note of the fact that we have not one, but two representatives from California’s 18^th Congressional District with us. 

A good friend of mine, Paul Wenger, who grows almonds in Modesto, CA and is the First Vice President of the California Farm Bureau, will share his insight on the impact of Colony Collapse Disorder on California’s almond industry.  And finally, Gene Brandi—who is the Legislative Chairman of the California State Beekeeper Association, will speak from the beekeeper perspective.

With that, I now yield time to Ranking Member Neugebauer for his opening statement.