EconTalk Archives, 2013   /     Wally Thurman on Bees, Beekeeping, and Coase

Description

Wally Thurman of North Carolina State University and PERC talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the world of bees, beekeepers, and the market for pollination. Thurman describes how farmers hire beekeepers to pollinate their crops and how that market keeps improving crop yields and producing honey. Thurman then discusses how beekeepers have responded to Colony Collapse Disorder--a not fully understood phenomenon where colonies disband, dramatically reducing the number of bees. The discussion closes with the history of bee pollination as an example of a reciprocal externality and how Coase's insight helps understand how the pollination market works.

Subtitle
Wally Thurman talks with host Russ Roberts about the world of bees, beekeepers, and the pollination market. He describes how farmers hire beekeepers to pollinate their crops, honey production, and the response to Colony Collapse Disorder--a not fully unde
Duration
1:03:21
Publishing date
2013-12-16 11:30
Contributors
  EconTalk: Russ Roberts
author  
Enclosures
http://files.libertyfund.org/econtalk/y2013/Thurmanbees.mp3
audio/mpeg