Flowers in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Pollinator Plantings and the Upper Midwest Agricultural Landscape Supporting Honey Bees

A present goal of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is to manage land in agricultural landscapes to increase pollinator abundance and diversity. CP42, or the pollinator seed mix, is planted and managed to support foraging pollinators with blooming flowers present at all points in the foraging season. This high-quality habitat provides an excellent opportunity to study honey bee nutrition and determine whether honey bees located near CRP sites use known resources included in planting seed mixes. This study aims to highlight the primary sources of honey bee forage in the northern Midwest as well as to assess honey bee utilization of the floral resources provided by the pollinator seed mix used for CRP plantings. We received pollen samples collected using pollen traps by beekeepers in Ohio, South Dakota, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. Metabarcoding methods were used to identify and quantify pollen collected at different points in the season. The results indicate that honey bees frequently used major mass flowering resources such as Glycine, Trifolium, and Symphiotrichum throughout the season. In addition, flowers included in the CRP pollinator seed mix were used modestly. These results have implications for pollinator seed mix design.

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Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidea) Pollen Forage in a Highly Cultivated Agroecosystem: Limited Diet Diversity and Its Relationship to Virus Resistance

Journal of Economic Entomology ◽

10.1093/jee/toaa055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 113 (3) ◽

pp. 1062-1072 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ge Zhang ◽

Ashley L St. Clair ◽

Adam Dolezal ◽

Amy L Toth ◽

Matthew O’Neal

Keyword(s):

Viral Infection ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Diet Diversity ◽

Immune Health ◽

Pollen Traps ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

High Level ◽

The Impact

Abstract Intensified agriculture reduces natural and seminatural habitats and plant diversity, reducing forage available to honey bees (Apis mellifera L. [Hymenoptera: Apidea]). In agricultural landscapes of Iowa, United States, we studied the impact of extrinsic agricultural intensification on the availability of pollen for honey bees by placing colonies next to soybean fields surrounded by either a low or high level of cultivation. The abundance and diversity of pollen returned to a colony were estimated by placing pollen traps on bee colonies during the summer and fall of 2015 and 2016. We observed no difference in abundance and diversity of pollen collected by colonies in either landscape, but abundance varied over time with significantly less collected in September. We explored if the most commonly collected pollen from these landscapes had the capacity to support honey bee immune health by testing if diets consisting of these pollens improved bee resistance to a viral infection. Compared to bees denied pollen, a mixture of pollen from the two most common plant taxa (Trifolium spp. L. [Fabales: Fabaceae] and Chimaechrista fasciculata (Michx.) Greene [Fabales: Fabaceae]) significantly reduced honey bee mortality induced by viral infection. These data suggest that a community of a few common plants was favored by honey bees, and when available, could be valuable for reducing mortality from a viral infection. Our data suggest a late season shortage of pollen may be ameliorated by additions of fall flowering plants, like goldenrod (Solidago spp. L. [Asterales: Asteraceae]) and sunflower (Helianthus, Heliopsis, and Silphium spp. [Asterales: Asteraceae]), as options for enhancing pollen availability and quality for honey bees in agricultural landscapes.

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Pollination Potential of Riparian Hardwood Forests—A Multifaceted Field-Based Assessment in the Vistula Valley, Poland

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12070907 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 907

Author(s):

Andrzej N. Affek ◽

Edyta Regulska ◽

Ewa Kołaczkowska ◽

Anna Kowalska ◽

Katarzyna Affek

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Riparian Forest ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Threshold Value ◽

Early Spring ◽

Hardwood Forests ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Vistula River ◽

Pollinator Abundance ◽

Nesting Sites

Riparian forests with oaks, ashes and elms, now highly fragmented and rare in Europe, are considered hotspots for ecosystem services. However, their capacity to provide pollination seems to be quite low, although reports from in-situ research supporting this view are scarce. Our goal was therefore to thoroughly assess their pollination potential based on multifaceted field measurements. For this, we selected six test sites with well-developed riparian hardwood forests, located in the agricultural landscape along the middle Vistula River in Poland. We used seven indicators relating to habitat suitability (nesting sites and floral resources) and pollinator abundance (bumblebees and other Apoidea) and propose a threshold value (AdjMax) based on value distribution and Hampel’s test to indicate the level of pollination potential for this type of riparian forest. The obtained AdjMax for bumblebee density was 500 ind. ha−1, for Apoidea abundance—0.42 ind. day−1, while for nectar resources—200 kg ha−1. We demonstrate that the investigated small patches of the riparian hardwood forest have a higher pollination potential than reported earlier for riparian and other broadleaved temperate forests, but the indicators were inconsistent. As forest islands in the agricultural landscape, riparian hardwood forests play an important role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of wild pollinators, especially in early spring when there is still no food base available elsewhere.

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

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1093/ee/nvaa031 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 753-764 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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Insect visitors to avocado flowers in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

New Zealand Plant Protection ◽

10.30843/nzpp.2017.70.25 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 70 ◽

pp. 38-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

S.F.J. Read ◽

B.G. Howlett ◽

L.K. Jesson ◽

D.E. Pattemore

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Insect Species ◽

Insect Pollination ◽

Flower Visitor ◽

Production Area ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

Stocking Rates ◽

Insect Visitors

Insect pollination is key to ensuring adequate fruit yields within avocado orchards. Various bee and non-bee insect species have been considered as potential pollinators of avocado worldwide, but in New Zealand there has been little research into which insect species visit avocado flowers. In the Bay of Plenty, an important avocado production area, flower visitor abundance and diversity data were obtained by conducting observational surveys in four orchards in November 2015. Honey bees were the dominant flower visitors in all orchards surveyed, representing 92.9% of all insects recorded, but there was high variation in numbers among sites. Other common insects observed included the beetle, Zorion guttigerum (3.4%), and bumblebees Bombus spp. (1.6%). A better understanding of the interaction between honey bee stocking rates and flower visitor abundances within orchards could assist in improving pollination recommendations.

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Mexican creeper, Antigonon leptopus Hook. and Arn : An effective bee forage plant to conserve honey bee

Journal of Horticultural Sciences ◽

10.24154/jhs.2020.v15i02.015 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 225-228

Author(s):

P V Rami Reddy

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Species Diversity ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Native Species ◽

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Apis Cerana ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Urban Habitats ◽

Forage Plant

Decline in honey bee populations has become a matter of concern and their conservation is very essential to sustain essential ecosystem services. They provide making available continuous supply of floral resources is of immense value in conserving honey bees. The effectiveness of an ornamental creeper, Antigonon leptopus Hook. & Arn as a sustainable bee forage plant was evaluated. It attracts four major native species of honey bees viz., Apis cerana, A. florea, A. dorsata and Tetragonula iridipennis. The wild little bee, A. florea was the most dominant forager followed by the Indian bee, A. cerana. The plant is amenable for easy multiplication through seeds as well as cuttings and meets both aesthetic and ecological needs. Using Antigonon, different studies related to honey bees like assessing species diversity, foraging behaviour, temperature driven shifts etc. can be carried out. Popularising perennial bee flora like Antigonon would help in conserving honey bees in both natural and urban habitats. Since Antigonon attracts all species of honey bees throughout the year, it could be utilized as a potential bioindicator of honey bee populations in a given environment.

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Flower Strips in Wheat Intercropping System: Effect on Pollinator Abundance and Diversity in Belgium

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects9030114 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 114 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Clara Amy ◽

Grégoire Noël ◽

Séverin Hatt ◽

Roel Uyttenbroeck ◽

Frank Van de Meutter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Insect Pests ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Agricultural Systems ◽

System Effect ◽

Pollinator Abundance ◽

Pollinator Species ◽

Pollinator Community ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

Agricultural Areas

The decline of pollinators in agricultural areas has been observed for some decades, this being partly due to landscape simplification in intensive agrosystems. Diversifying agricultural landscapes by sowing flower strips within fields could reduce these adverse effects on biodiversity. In this context, the study presented here aimed at assessing and comparing the abundance and diversity of bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) and hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) found and visiting flowers in three types of flower strips in Belgium: (i) a mixture of 11 wild flowers, (ii) a monofloral strip of Dimorphoteca pluvialis (Asteraceae) and (iii) a monofloral strip of Camelina sativa (Brassicaceae), where the last two are considered to be intercrops since they are valuable on the market, all sown within a field of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Pollinators were captured with pan traps and by netting in standardised transects from May to July 2017. One-thousand one-hundred and eighty-four individuals belonging to 43 bee species and 18 hoverfly species were collected. Significant differences in hoverfly diversity were found between the different flower strips. The multifloral treatment supported a greater diversity of syrphid species. Various pollinator species visited the different flowers composing the mixture and also D. pluvialis. The pollinator community proved to be predominantly generalist, with the exception of an oligolectic species in Belgium, Andrena nitidiuscula. Moreover, the three tested flower strips were effective in attracting hoverflies, among them natural enemies of insect pests. This study opens new perspectives in the design of intercropping systems with flower strips towards the design of sustainable agro-ecosystems. Improving economic profitability of sowing flower strips could encourage farmers to diversify their agricultural systems and foster conservation biology strategies.

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Floral Resources Used by Honey Bees in Agricultural Landscapes

Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America ◽

10.1890/0012-9623-96.3.487 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 96 (3) ◽

pp. 487-491 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Fabrice Requier ◽

Jean-François Odoux ◽

Thierry Tamic ◽

Nathalie Moreau ◽

Mickaël Henry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Honey Bees ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Floral Resources

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Pollinators on Cowpea Vigna unguiculata: Implications for Intercropping to Enhance Biodiversity

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12010054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 54

Author(s):

Beatrice N. Dingha ◽

Louis E. Jackai ◽

Barbara A. Amoah ◽

Clement Akotsen-Mensah

Keyword(s):

Honey Bees ◽

Sampling Methods ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Sticky Traps ◽

Pollinator Abundance ◽

Carpenter Bees ◽

Cowpea Varieties ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

The Relationship ◽

Pan Traps

Pollinators are on the decline and loss of flower resources play a major role. This raises concerns regarding production of insect-pollinated crops and therefore food security. There is urgency to mitigate the decline through creation of farming systems that encourage flower-rich habitats. Cowpea is a crop that produces pollen and nectar attractive to pollinators. Twenty-four cowpea varieties were planted, and the number of pollinators were counted using three sampling methods: pan traps, sticky traps, and direct visual counts. Five pollinator types (honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, wasps, and butterflies and moths), 11 and 16 pollinator families were recorded from direct visual counts, pan and sticky traps, respectively. Pollinator distribution varied significantly among varieties and sampling methods, with highest number on Penny Rile (546.0 ± 38.6) and lowest (214.8 ± 29.2) in Iron and Clay. Sticky traps accounted for 45%, direct visual counts (31%), and pan traps (23%) of pollinators. Pollinators captured by pan traps were more diverse than the other methods. The relationship between number of pollinators and number of flowers was significant (r2 = 0.3; p = 0.009). Cowpea can increase resources for pollinators and could be used to improve pollinator abundance and diversity in different farming systems.

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Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies benefit from grassland/ pasture while bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) colonies in the same landscapes benefit from non-corn/soybean cropland

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0257701 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. e0257701

Author(s):

Gabriela M. Quinlan ◽

Meghan O. Milbrath ◽

Clint R. V. Otto ◽

Rufus Isaacs

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Land Use ◽

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

The United States ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Bombus Impatiens ◽

Bumble Bee ◽

Social Bees

Agriculturally important commercially managed pollinators including honey bees (Apis mellifera L., 1758) and bumble bees (Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863) rely on the surrounding landscape to fulfill their dietary needs. A previous study in Europe demonstrated that managed honey bee foragers and unmanaged native bumble bee foragers are associated with different land uses. However, it is unclear how response to land use compares between managed honey bees and a managed native bumble bee species in the United States, where honey bees are an imported species. Furthermore, to our knowledge, no such direct comparisons of bee responses to land use have been made at the colony level. To better understand how two different social bees respond to variation in land use, we monitored the weights of A. mellifera and B. impatiens colonies placed in 12 apiaries across a range of land use in Michigan, United States in 2017. Bombus impatiens colonies gained more weight and produced more drones when surrounded by diverse agricultural land (i.e., non-corn/soybean cropland such as tree fruits and grapes), while honey bee colonies gained more weight when surrounded by more grassland/pasture land. These findings add to our understanding of how different bee species respond to agricultural landscapes, highlighting the need for further species-specific land use studies to inform tailored land management.

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Florida Honey Bee Plants

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-in1223-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mary Christine Bammer ◽

William H. Kern ◽

Jamie D. Ellis

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Honey Bees ◽

South Florida ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Annual Rainfall ◽

Soil Composition ◽

Central Florida ◽

Average Temperature

Several factors influence the flora throughout Florida, including annual freezes, average temperature, annual rainfall, and soil composition. Because of these variations, plants that grow well in one region may not grow well in another. Climate, plant communities, and timing of floral resources differ significantly between the three main regions in Florida: North Florida, Central Florida, and South Florida. While many plants are acceptable pollen producers for honey bees, fewer yield enough nectar to produce a surplus honey crop. As such, the tables in this document list the nectar-bearing plants that are present to some degree in each region and the plants' respective bloom times.

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