scholarly journals Attracting Native Bees to Your Florida Landscape

EDIS ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (6) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Rachel Mallinger ◽  
Anne Yasalonis ◽  
Gary Knox ◽  
Wayne Hobbs

Florida is home to approximately 315 species of native wild bees. These bees rely on flowers for survival; their diets consist exclusively of pollen and nectar harvested from flowers. Recently reported declines in some bee species have heightened awareness of bee conservation across the United States and motivated efforts to increase floral resources for bees. This 7-page fact sheet written by Rachel E. Mallinger, Wayne Hobbs, Anne Yasalonis, and Gary Knox and published by the UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department shows how gardeners and land managers can aid in conservation efforts by planting flowers for bees in home or community gardens. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN1255

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (5) ◽  
pp. 337-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary M Portman ◽  
Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar ◽  
Daniel P Cariveau

Abstract Effective monitoring is necessary to provide robust detection of bee declines. In the United States and worldwide, bowl traps have been increasingly used to monitor native bees and purportedly detect declines. However, bowl traps have a suite of flaws that make them poorly equipped to monitor bees. We outline the drawbacks of bowl traps, as well as other passive sampling methods. We emphasize that current methods do not monitor changes in bee abundance. We then propose future approaches to improve bee monitoring efforts, which include improving our understanding of the efficacy and drawbacks of current methods, novel molecular methods, nest censusing, mark-recapture, sampling of focal plant taxa, and detection of range contractions. Overall, we hope to highlight deficiencies of the current state of bee monitoring, with an aim to stimulate research into the efficacy of existing methods and promote novel methods that provide meaningful data that can detect declines without squandering limited resources.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 502-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianne Du Clos ◽  
Francis A Drummond ◽  
Cynthia S Loftin

Abstract Homogeneous, agriculturally intense landscapes have abundant records of pollinator community research, though similar studies in the forest-dominated, heterogeneous mixed-use landscape that dominates the northeastern United States are sparse. Trends of landscape effects on wild bees are consistent across homogeneous agricultural landscapes, whereas reported studies in the northeastern United States have not found this consistency. Additionally, the role of noncrop habitat in mixed-use landscapes is understudied. We assessed wild bee communities in the mixed-use lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) production landscape of Maine, United States at 56 sites in eight land cover types across two regional landscapes and analyzed effects of floral resources, landscape pattern, and spatial scale on bee abundance and species richness. Within survey sites, cover types with abundant floral resources, including lowbush blueberry fields and urban areas, promoted wild bee abundance and diversity. Cover types with few floral resources such as coniferous and deciduous/mixed forest reduced bee abundance and species richness. In the surrounding landscape, lowbush blueberry promoted bee abundance and diversity, while emergent wetland and forested land cover strongly decreased these measures. Our analysis of landscape configuration revealed that patch mixing can promote wild bee abundance and diversity; however, this was influenced by strong variation across our study landscape. More surveys at intra-regional scales may lead to better understanding of the influence of mixed-use landscapes on bee communities.


EDIS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Singh ◽  
Edward A. Evans ◽  
Jeff Wasielewski ◽  
Manjul Dutt ◽  
Jude Grosser

Cylindrical Australian finger limes (Microcitrus australasica) taste like a combination of lemon, lime, and grapefruit, come in a rainbow of colors, and have a texture like caviar. Like other citrus fruits, finger limes are nutritious, low in calories, and vitamin-rich. So far in the United States only California grows finger limes commercially, but this 4-page fact sheet written by Aditya Singh, Edward Evans, Jeff Wasielewski, Manjul Dutt, and Jude Grosser and published by the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department makes the case that exotic, colorful finger limes would likely grow well in Florida, where they would appeal to hoteliers and restaurants and to adventurous, health-conscious consumers on the lookout for a delicious new fresh fruit snack to try.  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1033


EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanao Deng

Gerbera daisy is one of the most popular flowers in the United States. Recently, interest has increased in growing gerberas in large containers for indoor or outdoor use. ‘Funtastic™ Tangerine Eye’ and ‘Funtastic™ Golden Eye’ have been selected and tested specifically for use in large containers. These cultivars produce large, powdery mildew-resistant plants and large, attractive flowers in orange-red or yellow-orange that complement the existing Funtastic™ series of gerbera cultivars. This 8-page fact sheet was written by Zhanao Deng, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, September 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep482


EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith R. Schneider ◽  
Renée M. Goodrich-Schneider ◽  
Michael A. Hubbard ◽  
Susanna Richardson

Listeriosis is one of several foodborne diseases that are often reported in the scientific and popular press. In the United States, it affects about 1,600 people every year, with about 270 of those cases resulting in death. It expresses itself in the affected person by means of septicemia, meningitis, and/or encephalitis. Pregnant women who have intrauterine or cervical infections caused by L. monocytogenes in their second or third trimesters may spontaneously abort the fetus or produce a stillbirth. Influenza-type symptoms, which may include continuous fever, usually precede the aforementioned disorders. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Keith R. Schneider, Renée Goodrich-Schneider, Michael A. Hubbard, and Susanna Richardson, and published by the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, March 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs102


EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Simonne

Since most of us buy melons at the store or farmers market, it is easy to forget that most melons are grown on the ground. Watermelons, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon are the most popular varieties of melons in the United States. Because they are exposed to pests and microorganisms from dirt, it is very important to apply the best food safety practices before enjoying them. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Amy Simonne, and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, June 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy488


EDIS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2013 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Neal

Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus Marshall, the Sri Lankan weevil, is a plant pest with a wide range of hosts. This weevil spread from Sri Lanka into India and then Pakistan where many subspecies of Myllocerus undecimpustulatus Faust are considered pests of more than 20 crops. In the United States, the Sri Lankan weevil was first identified on Citrus sp. in Pompano Beach a city in Broward County Florida. Three specimens were identified by Dr. Charles W. O’Brien, first as Myllocerus undecimpustulatus, a species native to southern India, and then again as Myllocerus undatus Marshall native to Sri Lanka, finally as Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus Marshall to show its status as a subspecies. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Anita Neal, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, November 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1016


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