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Research Project:
Estimating the Economic Impact of the Release by USDA ARS of a Line of Russian Honey Bees Resistant to Varroa Jacobsoni
Location:
Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research
Project Number: 6413-21000-010-02
Project Type:
Specific C/A
Start Date: Sep 23, 2003
End Date: Sep 30, 2005
Objective:
This proposed research has two objectives with respect to USDA ARS releasing a stock of Russian honey bees resistant to Varroa destructor to producers in the United States. First, I propose to estimate the current adoption level of this technology and estimated adoption rates in the near future (e.g., within the next five years). Second, based on the current adoption level of this technology and estimated adoption rates in the near future, I propose to estimate the present and near-term projected economic impact (direct and potentially indirect and induced) of releasing this resistant stock of Russian honey bees.
Approach:
This proposed research will follow a method similar to that used by Hodges et al. A mail survey will be distributed to approximately 2,000 honey bee producers nationwide. Producer names will be obtained from membership lists of the American Honey Producers Association and the American Beekeeping Federation. The survey will focus on commercial producers (as identified by both organizations), but will include hobbyist and sideliners (two other membership classes with both organizations). The survey instrument will be developed with the assistance of professional staff at USDA ARS, faculty at the Louisiana State University AgCenter (LSU AgCenter) Department of Entomology and interested beekeepers. The survey instrument will be pre-tested to ensure the questions will yield the desired information needed to meet the objectives of this proposal. The 'Tailored Design Method' (Dillman) will be used to administer the mail survey. Confidential responses from completed surveys will be entered into a database that will be maintained by the principal investigator at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, LSU AgCenter. Responses will be used to econometrically estimate rates of adoption for this stock of honey bees. Information producers provide on product sales and expenses, in conjunction with adoption levels for the Russian honey bee stock, will be used to estimate direct economic impacts of releasing this stock of honey bees. Indirect and induced effects will be estimated using coefficients from published research.
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