scholarly journals Negative impacts of dominance on bee communities: Does the influence of invasive honey bees differ from native bees?

Ecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas A. Garibaldi ◽  
Néstor Pérez‐Méndez ◽  
Guaraci D. Cordeiro ◽  
Alice Hughes ◽  
Michael Orr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Bee Communities

scholarly journals Diversified Farming in a Monoculture Landscape: Effects on Honey Bee Health and Wild Bee Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 753-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley L St. Clair ◽  
Ge Zhang ◽  
Adam G Dolezal ◽  
Matthew E O’Neal ◽  
Amy L Toth
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
Nutritional State ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Bee Conservation ◽  
Bee Communities

Abstract In the last century, a global transformation of Earth’s surface has occurred due to human activity with extensive agriculture replacing natural ecosystems. Concomitant declines in wild and managed bees are occurring, largely due to a lack of floral resources and inadequate nutrition, caused by conversion to monoculture-based farming. Diversified fruit and vegetable farms may provide an enhanced variety of resources through crops and weedy plants, which have potential to sustain human and bee nutrition. We hypothesized fruit and vegetable farms can enhance honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Apis mellifera Linnaeus) colony growth and nutritional state over a soybean monoculture, as well as support a more diverse wild bee community. We tracked honey bee colony growth, nutritional state, and wild bee abundance, richness, and diversity in both farm types. Honey bees kept at diversified farms had increased colony weight and preoverwintering nutritional state. Regardless of colony location, precipitous declines in colony weight occurred during autumn and thus colonies were not completely buffered from the stressors of living in a matrix dominated with monocultures. Contrary to our hypothesis, wild bee diversity was greater in soybean, specifically in August, a time when fields are in bloom. These differences were largely driven by four common bee species that performed well in soybean. Overall, these results suggest fruit and vegetable farms provide some benefits for honey bees; however, they do not benefit wild bee communities. Thus, incorporation of natural habitat, rather than diversified farming, in these landscapes, may be a better choice for wild bee conservation efforts.

scholarly journals Bees biodiversity, forage behavior and fruit production in gherkin crop (Cucumis anguria L.)

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. e47421
Author(s):  
Darclet Teresinha Malerbo-Souza ◽  
Milena Oliveira de Andrade ◽  
Rodrigo Alves de Siqueira ◽  
Núbia Maria Guedes de Medeiros ◽  
Lucas Rodrigues de Farias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
Africanized Honey Bee ◽  
University Center ◽  
Number Of Visits ◽  
Male Flowers ◽  
The University ◽  
Female Flowers

The objectives were to evaluate the biodiversity of bees, forage behavior and their effect on fruit production in the gherkin crop (Cucumis anguria L.) in the campus of the University Center Moura Lacerda in two years. The frequency and type of collection of the insects in the flowers was observed by counting from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in the first 10 minutes of each time, for three distinct days in each year. The percentage of fruiting was quantified in 25 female flowers covered with nylon compared to the 25 female flowers uncovered in the two years. The flowers were visited by the Africanized honey bees Apis mellifera and the native bees Plebeia sp., Exomalopsis sp. and Melissodes sp., and the Africanized honey bees presented higher frequency and constancy with a higher number of visits in the male flowers compared to the female ones and these visits occurred between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Without the visitation of the bees there was no fruit production, and both the Africanized honey bee and the native ones when collecting nectar and pollen, visited both female and male flowers, carrying pollen in their body, being considered important pollinators of this culture.

Floral bagging differentially affects handling behaviours and single‐visit pollen deposition by honey bees and native bees

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 1099-1107
Author(s):  
Jacob M. Cecala ◽  
Pierre W. Lau ◽  
Joan M. Leong
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Pollen Deposition ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Single Visit

scholarly journals Orchard pollination in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA. Honey bees or native bees?

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 3083-3094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent J. Tepedino ◽  
Diane Gail Alston ◽  
Brosi A. Bradley ◽  
Trent R. Toler ◽  
Terry L. Griswold
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
National Park ◽  
Native Bees

scholarly journals The Native Bees of Texas: Evaluating the Benefits of a Public Engagement Course

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 702
Author(s):  
Laurel Treviño Murphy ◽  
Shelly Engelman ◽  
John L. Neff ◽  
Shalene Jha
Keyword(s):  
Public Engagement ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
The Public ◽  
Native Bee ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Bee Communities ◽  
The University

Declines in native bee communities due to forces of global change have become an increasing public concern. Despite this heightened interest, there are few publicly available courses on native bees, and little understanding of how participants might benefit from such courses. In October of 2018 and 2019, we taught the ‘Native Bees of Texas’ course to the public at The University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center botanical gardens in an active learning environment with slide-based presentations, printed photo-illustrated resources, and direct insect observations. In this study, we evaluated course efficacy and learning outcomes with a pre/post-course test, a survey, and open-ended feedback, focused on quality improvement findings. Overall, participants’ test scores increased significantly, from 60% to 87% correct answers in 2018 and from 64% to 87% in 2019, with greater post-course differences in ecological knowledge than in identification skills. Post-course, the mean of participants’ bee knowledge self-ratings was 4.56 on a five-point scale. The mean of participants’ ratings of the degree to which they attained the course learning objectives was 4.43 on a five-point scale. Assessment results provided evidence that the course enriched participants’ knowledge of native bee ecology and conservation and gave participants a basic foundation in bee identification. This highlights the utility of systematic course evaluations in public engagement efforts related to biodiversity conservation.

scholarly journals Historical Changes in Honey Bee Wing Venation in Romania

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 542
Author(s):  
Adam Tofilski ◽  
Eliza Căuia ◽  
Adrian Siceanu ◽  
Gabriela Oana Vișan ◽  
Dumitru Căuia
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Natural Variation ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
Wing Venation ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Before And After

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is an ecologically and economically important species that provides pollination services to natural and agricultural systems. The biodiversity of the honey bee is being endangered by the mass import of non-native queens. In many locations, it is not clear how the local populations have been affected by hybridisation between native and non-native bees. There is especially little information about temporal changes in hybridisation. In Romania, A. m. carpatica naturally occurs, and earlier studies show that there are two subpopulations separated by the Carpathian Mountains. In this study, we investigated how the arrangement of veins in bees’ wings (venation) has changed in Romanian honey bees in the last four decades. We found that in the contemporary population of Romanian bees, there are still clear differences between the intra- and extra-Carpathian subpopulations, which indicates that natural variation among honey bees is still being preserved. We also found significant differences between bees collected before and after 2000. The observed temporal changes in wing venation are most likely caused by hybridisation between native bees and non-native bees sporadically introduced by beekeepers. In order to facilitate conservation and the monitoring of native Romanian bees, we developed a method facilitating their identification.

scholarly journals Diurnal insect visitation patterns to ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit flowers in New Zealand

2017 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 52-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.G. Howlett ◽  
S.F.J. Read ◽  
L.K. Jesson ◽  
A. Benoist ◽  
L.E. Evans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Temporal Pattern ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Flower Visitation ◽  
Longhorn Beetles ◽  
Insect Visitation ◽  
Hover Flies

Different pollinators may vary in their temporal flower-visitation patterns within crops, potentially extending the period pollination may occur. To assess whether this could be the case in kiwifruit, we conducted standardised observational surveys of insects visiting kiwifruit flowers within 31 orchards at three times: 10:00—11:00, 12:00—13:00 and 14:00—15:00 hr. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) represented 92% of visitations (n=5474), but temporal abundances were uneven (predicted abundances were lower at 14:00—15:00 hr). Predatory hover flies (Melangyna, Melonostoma, Allograpta spp.) also showed an uneven temporal pattern. There were no significant differences in the temporal abundances for buff-tailed bumble bees (Bombus terrestris), rat- tailed hover flies (Eristalis, Helophilus spp.), March flies (Dilophis nigrostigma), flower longhorn beetles (Zorion guttigerum) or the native bees (Leioproctus and Lasioglossum spp.) although, in some cases, low numbers may have masked potential unevenness trends. Variation in diurnal flower-visitation patterns among insects suggests the potential for complementarity between different pollinators.

scholarly journals Island Invasions by Introduced Honey Bees: What Can Be Expected for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean?

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Ackerman
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Tropical Islands ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences ◽  
Effective Pollinators

Apis species are a major component of pollinator faunas in their native and introduced habitats. A widespread concern is that non-native Apis mellifera may have negative effects on native pollinators and on plant reproduction. This is based on the assumptions that natural communities are at capacity, resource competition structures communities, native pollinators are more effective pollinators of native species, yet A. mellifera are superior competitors. The latter two assumptions are often true, but evidence from the Neotropics indicates that tropical communities are not tightly structured, and the foraging flexibilities of native bees maintain their populations. However, the less diverse and disharmonic biotas of islands may limit the buffering capacity of flexible behaviors. While few studies address these assumptions or the ecological and evolutionary consequences of A. mellifera to the flora and fauna of tropical islands, an accumulation of taxon-specific studies are suggesting that such effects run the spectrum from subtle and indirect to obvious and direct. A concerted research effort is needed to address the multitude of issues to develop strategies to ameliorate or enhance honey bee effects, or just let nature take its course.

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