scholarly journals Pollen Diet Composition Impacts Early Nesting Success in Queen Bumble Bees Bombus impatiens Cresson(Hymenoptera: Apidae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 711-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristal M Watrous ◽  
Michelle A Duennes ◽  
S Hollis Woodard
Keyword(s):  
Larval Growth ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
Floral Resource

Abstract Bumble bees are generalist pollinators that typically collect floral rewards from a wide array of flowering plant species. Among the greatest threats to wild bumble bee populations worldwide, many of which are declining, is a loss of floral resource abundance and diversity in the landscapes they inhabit. We examined how composition of pollen diet impacts early nesting success in laboratory-reared queens of the bumble bee Bombus impatiens. Specifically, we provided queens and their young nests with one of three pollen diets, each of which was dominated by a single pollen type, and explored how this diet treatment influenced the length of time until queens initiated nests, total counts of brood in the nest at the end of the experiment (8 wk later), and the size and weight of adult offspring produced. We found that the amount of later-stage brood (pupae and/or adults) produced by recently-initiated nests was strongly impacted by pollen diet. For example, on average 66% fewer later-stage brood were found in nests provided with the Cistus pollen Linnaeus (Cistaceae), relative to the predominantly Asteraceae pollen. This finding suggests that particular pollen diet compositions may delay larval growth, which delays colony development and may ultimately be detrimental for young nests. This study sheds light on how one of the leading stressors for bumble bees (nutritional stress) may negatively impact populations through its influence on brood production during the nest-founding stage of the colony cycle.

scholarly journals Native bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) pollinators vary in floral resource use across an invasion gradient

2017 ◽  
Vol 149 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D. Gillespie ◽  
J. Bayley ◽  
E. Elle
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Local Plants ◽  
Floral Resource

AbstractIntegration of pollinator-dependent invasive plants into native pollination networks can have direct and indirect effects on local plant and pollinator communities. Impacts on local plants are well documented; however effects on native pollinators have gained less attention. We examine these issues in habitat fragments of the endangered oak-savannah ecosystem in British Columbia, Canada. We measured pollen collection by native bumble bees (Bombus Latreille; Hymenoptera: Apidae) and the introduced honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus; Hymenoptera: Apidae) foraging on two common native plants in habitat fragments with varying invasive (Cytisus scoparius (Linnaeus) Link; Fabaceae) density. The Bombus species with the largest workers had higher proportions of invasive pollen on their bodies and in their corbiculae than smaller workers. Honey bees rarely collected C. scoparius pollen. While some native bumble bees species collect an increasing proportion of C. scoparius pollen with increasing C. scoparius density, this did not translate into an increased potential for pollination. Rather, measures of effective pollination decline with C. scoparius density. Overall, our results suggest that some bee species may be better at finding resources at highly invaded sites. Apis mellifera is likely not playing a major role in facilitating the spread of C. scoparius in our region. Rather C. scoparius is visited by a complement of native bumble bees that are similar to pollinators in the native range of this plant.

scholarly journals Commercial bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) hives under exclusion netting systems for apple pollination in orchards

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mélanie Normandeau Bonneau ◽  
Olivier Samson-Robert ◽  
Valérie Fournier ◽  
Gérald Chouinard
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Apple Fruit ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
Fruit Weight ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Factors Affecting

Abstract Exclusion netting systems are effective in various contexts and are increasingly used to control crop pests. However, factors affecting pollination management under nets are poorly known. The pollination effectiveness of commercial bumble bee hives of Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was studied for apple production under exclusion netting systems in a research orchard located in Quebec, Canada during 2016–2017. Sixteen single-row plots of apple trees (plot length: 18.5 m, cultivar GingerGold) were subjected to one of the following four treatments during bloom: (1) introduction of a bumble bee hive placed at the end of the row, under nets; (2) introduction of a bumble bee hive placed in the middle of the row, under nets; (3) negative control with no pollinators, under nets and (4) agronomic control with nearby bee hives (<50 m), without nets. Resulting post-harvest fruit quality (e.g., fruit weight, size, number and distribution of seeds) was evaluated, as well as correlations between bumble bee visitation rates and fruit quality parameters were evaluated. Results suggest that bumble bees provided adequate pollination under exclusion netting systems and that resulting fruit quality was equivalent to that of apple fruit conventionally pollinated by honey bees and wild bees community (bumble bees and other bees) in the orchard environment. Positioning bumble bee hives in the middle of the row provided better fruit load homogeneity in pollinated trees. Additional discussion on bumble bees as apple pollinators and on pollen distribution methods is also included.

Are bumble bee colonies in tomato greenhouses obtaining adequate nutrition?

2003 ◽  
Vol 135 (6) ◽  
pp. 883-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Whittington ◽  
Mark L. Winston
Keyword(s):  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Adequate Nutrition ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Greenhouse Crops ◽  
Bombus Occidentalis ◽  
Drone Production ◽  
Bee Colonies

AbstractManaged bumble bees are important pollinators of greenhouse crops, but few studies have examined factors that affect the health and productivity of commercially produced colonies. We investigated whether supplemental feeding with diverse pollens affected worker longevity and colony size of Bombus occidentalis Greene (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies in tomato (Solanaceae) greenhouses. We found no differences in colony worker populations, brood production, or queen and drone production between supplemented and nonsupplemented treatments, suggesting that B. occidentalis colonies obtain adequate nutrition from the tomato pollen available in greenhouses. Adult populations did not increase in any treatment, but either remained stable or declined after colonies were placed in greenhouses. Because brood-rearing increased in all treatments but adult populations did not, adult mortality due to a non-nutritional factor such as disease or disorientation appears to be an important problem limiting the size of bumble bee colonies, and thus the effectiveness of bumble bees for greenhouse tomato pollination.

scholarly journals Floral reward production is timed by an insect pollinator

2007 ◽  
Vol 274 (1620) ◽  
pp. 1831-1837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Boisvert ◽  
Anthea J Veal ◽  
David F Sherry
Keyword(s):  
Interval Timing ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Floral Reward ◽  
Insect Pollinator ◽  
Timing Sensitivity ◽  
Artificial Flowers ◽  
Fixed Delay

Interval timing—sensitivity to elapsing durations—has recently been found to occur in an invertebrate pollinator, the bumble-bee ( Bombus impatiens ). Here, bumble-bees were required to time the interval between the start of foraging in a patch of low-quality artificial flowers providing 25% sucrose and the availability of a high-quality flower (HQF) that provided 50% sucrose after a fixed delay. The delay changed after every 20 foraging bouts in the order 30–150–30 s. Bees visited the HQF sooner when the delay was 30 s than when it was 150 s, and visits to the HQF peaked near the end of both delays. When the delay changed to 150 s, bees appeared to time both the previous 30 s delay and the new delay. To examine whether bees also learned what kind of reward was provided at the HQF, its usual reward was replaced with 25% sucrose in a final foraging bout. Bumble-bees rejected the HQF on the reward-replacement test. These results show that bumble-bees remembered both when reward was produced by the HQF and what type of reward was produced. These findings indicate that bumble-bees can learn both the timing and content of reward production.

WORKER-MALE CONFLICT AND INBREEDING IN BUMBLE BEES (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE)

1979 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.C. Plowright ◽  
M.J. Pallett
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Diploid Males ◽  
Early Phases

AbstractWorker-male conflict in different bumble bee species is strongly associated with tendency, toward inbreeding. It is hypothesized that the major cost imposed by inbreeding arises from the production of diploid males in place of workers, during the early phases of colony development. The consequent dilution of the labour force slows down colony growth and leads to ultimate reduction in reproductive success. An experiment to test this hypothesis is described, using consanguineously mated queens of B. atratus Fkln. Colonies yielding a 1:1 mixture of males and workers grew significantly more slowly than normal all-worker producing colonies, providing support for the hypothesis.

The Health of Commercial Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies After Foraging in Florida Watermelon and Blueberry

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1197-1202
Author(s):  
Joshua W Campbell ◽  
Mary Bammer ◽  
Tomas A Bustamante ◽  
James D Ellis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Crop Fields ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Weight Number

Abstract Bumble bees are commonly used to provide pollination services within crop fields and greenhouses, with Bombus impatiens Cresson; Hymenoptera: Apidae, a bee native to the eastern United States, being the only managed bumble bee available commercially in the United States. Although many researchers have explored managed bumble bees’ ability to pollinate various crops and the potential spread of pathogens by managed bumble bees, scant research is available on how managed bumble bee colony health is affected after foraging within crop fields. We measured 10 B. impatiens colony health parameters: 1) colony weight; number of 2) honey/pollen pots, 3) workers, 4) queens, 5) drones, 6) immatures, 7) eggs; and weight of 8) workers, 9) drones, and 10) queens from colonies that foraged within blueberry or watermelon fields, and compared them to control colonies that were purchased and immediately frozen upon receipt. Bees that foraged within blueberry increased in colony weight and in the number of immatures and eggs during the bloom period compared to control colonies. In contrast, bee colonies placed within watermelon decreased in colony weight, number of workers and immature bees, and individual bee weight compared to control colonies. Blueberry appeared to provide bees with sufficient nectar and pollen, whereas watermelon may not have provided adequate resources for the bees. Bees foraging within watermelon were probably forced to search for other sources of pollen and nectar, resulting in colony health parameter declines. Our data suggest that some crops (e.g., blueberry) can support managed B. impatiens, potentially adding to localized bumble bee populations, while others (e.g., watermelon) cannot.

scholarly journals Metabolic rate predicts the lifespan of workers in the bumble bee Bombus impatiens

Apidologie ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan P. Kelemen ◽  
Nhi Cao ◽  
Tuan Cao ◽  
Goggy Davidowitz ◽  
Anna Dornhaus
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Bumble Bee

scholarly journals Landscape Enhancements in Apple Orchards: Higher Bumble Bee Queen Species Richness, but No Effect on Apple Quality

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 421
Author(s):  
Amélie Gervais ◽  
Marc Bélisle ◽  
Marc J. Mazerolle ◽  
Valérie Fournier
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Pesticide Use ◽  
Apple Orchards ◽  
Seed Number ◽  
Apple Production ◽  
Apple Quality ◽  
Effective Pollinators ◽  
Quality Weight

Bumble bees are among the most effective pollinators in orchards during the blooming period, yet they are often threatened by the high levels of pesticide use in apple production. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of landscape enhancements (e.g., hedgerows, flower strips) on bumble bee queens in apple orchards. Bumble bee queens from 12 orchards in southern Québec (Canada) were marked, released, and recaptured in the springs and falls of 2017 to 2019. Half of the 12 orchards had landscape enhancements. Apples were harvested in 2018 and 2019 to compare their quality (weight, diameter, sugar level, and seed number) in sites with and without landscape enhancements. Species richness, as well as the occurrence of three species out of eight, was higher in orchards with landscape enhancements than in orchards without such structures. The occurrence of Bombus ternarius was lower in orchards with high levels of pesticide use. Apples had fewer seeds when collected in orchards with landscape enhancements and were heavier in orchards that used more pesticides. Our work provides additional evidence that landscape enhancements improve bumble bee presence in apple orchards and should therefore be considered as a means to enhance pollination within farms.

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