Increasing wild bee richness and abundance on sequentially flowering cultivars of a pollinator-dependent crop

The establishment of native wildflower plantings in Florida can benefit agricultural producers as well as native pollinators and other beneficial insects (predators and parasitoids). The plantings do this by: providing forage and nesting sites for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, increasing wild bee numbers possibly across the farm, and increasing natural enemies of insect pests (that also depend on forage and nesting sites). This document discusses choosing the right mix of native plant species to benefit many pollinator species, as well as proper site selection, planting practices, and weed control techniques. Wildflower plots should be practical to manage, maximize benefits to wildlife, and fit into the overall management practices of the property.

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Influence of Nesting Characteristics on Health of Wild Bee Communities

Annual Review of Entomology ◽

10.1146/annurev-ento-011019-024955 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 39-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alexandra Harmon-Threatt

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Nest Site ◽

Site Conditions ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Nesting Biology ◽

Habitat Disturbances ◽

Wild Bee ◽

Growth Development ◽

Bee Communities ◽

Nest Initiation

Nest site availability and quality are important for maintaining robust populations and communities of wild bees. However, for most species, nesting traits and nest site conditions are poorly known, limiting both our understanding of basic ecology for bee species and conservation efforts. Additionally, many of the threats commonly associated with reducing bee populations have effects that can extend into nests but are largely unstudied. In general, threats such as habitat disturbances and climate change likely affect nest site availability and nest site conditions, which in turn affect nest initiation, growth, development, and overwintering success of bees. To facilitate a better understanding of how these and other threats may affect nesting bees, in this review, I quantify key nesting traits and environmental conditions and then consider how these traits may intersect with observed and anticipated changes in nesting conditions experienced by wild bees. These data suggest that the effects of common threats to bees through nesting may strongly influence their survival and persistence but are vastly understudied. Increasing research into nesting biology and incorporating nesting information into conservation efforts may help improve conservation of this declining but critical group.

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Identity of mass-flowering crops moderates functional trait composition of pollinator communities

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-021-01261-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nicole Beyer ◽

Felix Kirsch ◽

Doreen Gabriel ◽

Catrin Westphal

Keyword(s):

Faba Bean ◽

Management Practices ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Flower Morphology ◽

Landscape Diversity ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Mass Flowering ◽

Wild Bee

Abstract Context Pollinator declines and functional homogenization of farmland insect communities have been reported. Mass-flowering crops (MFC) can support pollinators by providing floral resources. Knowledge about how MFC with dissimilar flower morphology affect functional groups and functional trait compositions of wild bee communities is scarce. Objective We investigated how two morphologically different MFC, land cover and local flower cover of semi-natural habitats (SNH) and landscape diversity affect wild bees and their functional traits (body size, tongue length, sociality, foraging preferences). Methods We conducted landscape-level wild bee surveys in SNH of 30 paired study landscapes covering an oilseed rape (OSR) (Brassica napus L.) gradient. In 15 study landscapes faba beans (Vicia faba L.) were grown, paired with respective control landscapes without grain legumes. Results Faba bean cultivation promoted bumblebees (Bombus spp. Latreille), whereas non-Bombus densities were only driven by the local flower cover of SNH. High landscape diversity enhanced wild bee species richness. Faba bean cultivation enhanced the proportions of social wild bees, bees foraging on Fabaceae and slightly of long-tongued bumblebees. Solitary bee proportions increased with high covers of OSR. High local SNH flower covers mitigated changes of mean bee sizes caused by faba bean cultivation. Conclusions Our results show that MFC support specific functional bee groups adapted to their flower morphology and can alter pollinators` functional trait composition. We conclude that management practices need to target the cultivation of functionally diverse crops, combined with high local flower covers of diverse SNH to create heterogeneous landscapes, which sustain diverse pollinator communities.

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Evidence for multiple introductions of an invasive wild bee species currently under rapid range expansion in Europe

BMC Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1186/s12862-020-01729-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Julia Lanner ◽

Fabian Gstöttenmayer ◽

Manuel Curto ◽

Benoît Geslin ◽

Katharina Huchler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cluster Formation ◽

Invasion History ◽

European Continent ◽

Multiple Introductions ◽

Wild Bee ◽

Invasion Stage ◽

Middle Europe ◽

History Of ◽

Genetic Clusters ◽

Colonization Dynamics

Abstract Background Invasive species are increasingly driving biodiversity decline, and knowledge of colonization dynamics, including both drivers and dispersal modes, are important to prevent future invasions. The bee species Megachile sculpturalis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), native to East-Asia, was first recognized in Southeast-France in 2008, and has since spread throughout much of Europe. The spread is very fast, and colonization may result from multiple fronts. Result To track the history of this invasion, codominant markers were genotyped using Illumina sequencing and the invasion history and degree of connectivity between populations across the European invasion axis were investigated. Distinctive genetic clusters were detected with east–west differentiations in Middle-Europe. Conclusion We hypothesize that the observed cluster formation resulted from multiple, independent introductions of the species to the European continent. This study draws a first picture of an early invasion stage of this wild bee and forms a foundation for further investigations, including studies of the species in their native Asian range and in the invaded range in North America.

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High honeybee abundances reduce wild bee abundances on flowers in the city of Munich

Oecologia ◽

10.1007/s00442-021-04862-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Susanne S. Renner ◽

Marie Sophie Graf ◽

Zoe Hentschel ◽

Helen Krause ◽

Andreas Fleischmann

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Adjacent Area ◽

Exploitative Competition ◽

Wild Bees ◽

European Cities ◽

Urban Garden ◽

Wild Bee ◽

June July ◽

The City ◽

Clear Support

AbstractThe increase in managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) in many European cities has unknown effects on the densities of wild bees through competition. To investigate this, we monitored honeybees and non-honeybees from 01 April to 31 July 2019 and 2020 at 29 species of plants representing diverse taxonomic and floral-functional types in a large urban garden in the city of Munich in which the same plant species were cultivated in both years. No bee hives were present in the focal garden, and all bee hives in the adjacent area were closely monitored by interviewing the relevant bee keepers in both 2019 and 2020. Honeybee numbers were similar in April of both years, but increased from May to July 2020 compared to 2019. The higher densities correlated with a significant increase in shifts from wild bee to honeybee visits in May/June/July, while visitor spectra in April 2019 and 2020 remained the same. Most of the species that experienced a shift to honeybee visits in 2020 were visited mostly or exclusively for their nectar. There were no shifts towards increased wild bee visits in any species. These results from a flower-rich garden have implications for the discussion of whether urban bee keeping might negatively impact wild bees. We found clear support that high honeybee densities result in exploitative competition at numerous types of flowers.

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Intraspecific body size increases with habitat fragmentation in wild bee pollinators

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-016-0349-y ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 31 (7) ◽

pp. 1449-1455 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Daniela Warzecha ◽

Tim Diekötter ◽

Volkmar Wolters ◽

Frank Jauker

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Habitat Fragmentation ◽

Wild Bee

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Forest application of the insecticide fenitrothion and its effect on wild bee pollinators (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium SPP.) in Southern New Brunswick, Canada

Biological Conservation ◽

10.1016/0006-3207(75)90045-2 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 301-309 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Peter G. Kevan

Keyword(s):

New Brunswick ◽

Wild Bee

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Causes of variation in wild bee responses to anthropogenic drivers

Current Opinion in Insect Science ◽

10.1016/j.cois.2015.05.004 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 104-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Daniel P Cariveau ◽

Rachael Winfree

Keyword(s):

Wild Bee ◽

Anthropogenic Drivers

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Variation in floret size explains differences in wild bee visitation to cultivated sunflowers

Plant Genetic Resources ◽

10.1017/s1479262118000072 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 498-503 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Zoe M. Portlas ◽

Jonathan R. Tetlie ◽

Deirdre Prischmann-Voldseth ◽

Brent S. Hulke ◽

Jarrad R. Prasifka

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Significant Variation ◽

Inbred Lines ◽

Floral Traits ◽

Pollinator Visitation ◽

Wild Bee ◽

Residual Variation ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Nectar Rewards

AbstractWild and managed bees are needed to move sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) pollen, both to create hybrid seed and to encourage high, consistent yields when those hybrids are subsequently grown. Among floral traits that influence bee preference, floret size may be critical, as the depth of the corolla affects the accessibility of nectar. Sampling and observation of inbred maintainer (HA) lines were used to assess variation in floret size, and to measure any effects of floret size on pollinator visitation. Among 100 inbreds sampled, there was significant variation among the lines, with floret lengths of 6.8–9.9 mm. Floret length, measured before anthesis, was closely related to corolla depth during anthesis and was consistent between 2 years (environments). Pollinator observations on 30 inbred lines showed floret size explained a majority (52%) of the variation in wild bee preference, with a reduction in floret length of 2 mm more than doubling pollinator activity. Though honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies were located ≈ 60 m from the plots, near-zero honey bee activity in the sunflowers precluded an assessment of how strongly this managed pollinator is affected by floret length. Production of inbreds and hybrids with smaller florets could enhance sunflower pollination, but genetic markers for floret size are needed to facilitate selection, and an understanding of potential trade-offs also is required. Information on variation and heritability of other traits, such as pollen and nectar rewards, could help explain residual variation in wild bee visitation to sunflowers.

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