If You Grow It, They Will Come: Ornamental Plants Impact the Abundance and Diversity of Pollinators and Other Flower-Visiting Insects in Gardens

Horticulturae, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 8(11), P. 1068 - 1068

Published: Nov. 14, 2022

Gardening for pollinators and other flower-visiting insects, where ornamental landscaping plants are added to provide habitats foraging resources, may substantial benefits declining insect populations. However, plant recommendations often lack empirical grounding or limited geographically. Here, we created a pollinator garden, replicated across two sites, that contained 25 landscape were either native non-native mid-Atlantic states perennial annual. Our objective was determine the would bring abundance diversity gardens. We surveyed number taxonomy of insects visiting summers. found significant effect species on both insects. Insects 42 times more abundant our most visited (black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida) versus least (petunia, Petunia sp.). There than one point difference in Shannon index between with (purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea) (verbena, Verbena bonariensis) diverse visitors. Across plants, honey bee (Apis mellifera) positively correlated pollinators, although not specifically wild abundance. Native perennials outperformed annuals abundance, attracted annuals. scores quadratically related highest seen medium Lastly, present weighted sums all visitors per plant, which will allow future gardeners make informed decisions. Overall, have shown gardening schemes could benefit from data-driven approach better support populations within

Language: Английский

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Apple orchards feed honey bees during, but even more so after, bloom

Ecosphere, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 13(9)

Published: Sept. 1, 2022

Abstract Many of the fruits that add diversity and nutrition to our diet are wholly or partially dependent upon flower‐visiting insects. For example, apples ( Malus spp.) self‐incompatible therefore rely on insect pollinators for fruit development seed production. Honey bees Apis mellifera ) often migrated into these orchards when in bloom. While previous studies have focused impact honey orchards, fewer examined reciprocal relationship bees, particularly if orchard entire foraging season, not just during Here we investigated dynamics apple Virginia two full seasons (April–October, 2018–2019). We decoded, mapped, analyzed waggle dances n = 3710) made by returning foragers, which communicate distance direction from hive valuable resources, usually nectar pollen. found foraged locally at <2 km throughout season both 2018 2019, with some long‐range recruitment up 11 km. Contrary expectations, blooms did drive bee foraging. determined calculations percent (%) recruit more after bloom than (29.4% vs. 18.6% 28.5% 21.4% respectively). Interestingly, recruited forests while bloomed (36.9% 25.7% Lastly, odds ratio analysis, includes a correction, indicates were twice as likely June, is bloom, April May, Our ground truthing revealed post‐bloom provided opportunities growing understory red white clover Trifolium plantain Plantago spp.). These data might important implications best management practice decisions located orchards.

Language: Английский

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Agricultural grasslands provide forage for honey bees but only when nearby

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 359, P. 108722 - 108722

Published: Sept. 21, 2023

Knowledge of foraging currencies and costs is important for understanding honeybee food collection economics to parameterize their behaviors as indicators habitat quality, which in the identification management targets human-altered landscapes. Previous research has yielded inconsistent results regarding relationship between honey bees agroecosystems, such agricultural grasslands. Waggle dance decoding provides a method resolving these inconsistencies by mapping quantifying bee recruitment grasslands using statistical methods that appropriately account distance, or cost. Here we decoded 3881 dances across two years investigate when where forage mixed-use landscape Virginia, with particular interest use (pastures haylands). We initially observe recruited heavily compared croplands, developed lands forests, percent land type was at 30.7% (CI: 29.4–31.8%), thus significantly higher than its representation (c. 23%). Honey also months, ranging from 26.9% (23.5–30.1%) August 38.8% (31.3–46.9%) October. However, examined distance-corrected rates, allowed us compare attractiveness flight cost removed, found were not more attractive broader less than, example, croplands. additionally identify potential gaps during June August, while distinguishing them possible source October before colony overwintering this landscape. Furthermore, qualitatively hot spot, demonstrating high composed grasslands, lands, croplands itself area. Together, demonstrate utilize heterogeneous areas underscore importance analyses incorporate biological knowledge. Lastly, data will be informing future aimed pollinators

Language: Английский

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Honey bees communicate distance via non-linear waggle duration functions

PeerJ, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 9, P. e11187 - e11187

Published: April 5, 2021

Honey bees (genus Apis ) can communicate the approximate location of a resource to their nestmates via waggle dance. The distance goal is encoded by duration phase dance, but precise shape this distance-duration relationship ambiguous: earlier studies (before 1990s) proposed that it non-linear, with increase in flattening distance, while more recent suggested follows simple linear function (i.e. straight line). Strikingly, authors trained much longer distances than studies, unfortunately they usually measured dance circuits (waggle plus return dance), which only correlate bees’ signal. We honey ( A. mellifera carnica visit sugar feeders over relatively long array between 0.1 and 1.7 km from hive both dances video recordings. distance-related was better described non-linear model decreasing slope model. equally well captured two segments separated at “break-point” 1 distance. In turn, sufficiently data suggest process flight differently before beyond certain threshold While physiological evolutionary causes behavior remain be explored, our results applied improve estimation bee foraging based on decoding dances.

Language: Английский

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Patch utilization and flower visitations by wild bees in a honey bee‐dominated, grassland landscape

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 11(21), P. 14888 - 14904

Published: Oct. 10, 2021

Abstract Understanding habitat needs and patch utilization of wild managed bees has been identified as a national research priority in the United States. We used occupancy models to investigate patterns bee use across 1030 transects spanning gradient floral resource abundance richness distance from apiaries Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) Estimates transect by honey were nearly 1.0 during our 3.5‐month sampling period, suggesting ubiquitous transects. Wild more frequently with higher flower abundant flowers; however, effect size native covariate ( = 3.90 ± 0.65 [1SE]) was four times greater than non‐native 0.99 0.17). found some evidence that lower at near commercial apiaries, but imprecise 1.4 0.81). Honey detected events flowers species showed an uncertain relationship abundance. Of 4039 interactions, 85% occurred on flowers, while only 43% 738 observations flowers. Our study suggests routinely same patches PPR often visit different flowering plants. The greatest potential for overlap between appears be PPR. results are valuable natural managers tasked supporting pollinators agroecosystems.

Language: Английский

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Influence of the agricultural landscape surrounding Apis mellifera colonies on the presence of pesticides in honey

Apidologie, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 53(2)

Published: April 19, 2022

Language: Английский

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Honey bee hive covers reduce food consumption and colony mortality during overwintering

PLoS ONE, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 17(4), P. e0266219 - e0266219

Published: April 4, 2022

Beekeepers regularly employ management practices to mitigate losses during the winter, often considered most difficult time a colony life cycle. Management recommendations involving covering or wrapping hives in insulation winter have long history; over 100 years ago, for overwintering cold climates involved heavy wraps moving indoors. These began change mid-20 th century, but hive covers are still useful and described contemporary beekeeping manuals cooperative extension materials. However, of data supporting their use is published primarily non-peer reviewed trade journals was collected >40 ago. In this time, environment has changed substantially, with new pressures from pathogens, agrochemicals, land changes. Here, we provide an update historical literature, reporting randomized experiment testing effectiveness common honey bee cover system across eight apiaries central Illinois, USA, temperate region dominated by conventional annual agriculture. We found that, when other recommended preparations performed, covered colonies consumed less food stores survived better than uncovered controls (22.5% higher survival). This study highlights value covers, even area not subject extremely conditions, these can aid production evidence-based beekeepers.

Language: Английский

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Pollinator response to prairie strips in the Iowa agricultural landscape

Published: Jan. 1, 2021

In recent decades, several families of pollinators have experienced significant population losses in North America, including the Monarch butterfly, honey bee, and a native bee species. Pollination via bees alone is worth over $15 billion per year attracting considerable attention to developing solutions reverse current trend. Potential causes for this decline are habitat loss fragmentation, insecticide use, pests diseases. Declining pollinator communities Midwest triggered research on effective conservation methods that can be integrated into an agricultural landscape dominated by corn soybean row crops. There many practices with cost-share opportunities farmers available through Farm Bill, though focus primarily improving water quality while only one was contrived as priority. Our first study designed investigate impacts water-quality centered practice, prairie strips, monarchs, bees, syrphids central Iowa. The results could used inform policy-makers, conservationists, producers alike, providing valuable insight multi-faceted effects strips. Understanding these assist targeted conservation, specifically where ecosystem services (i.e. pollination crop production or apiary location) may need. second study, we developed spatial analytical explore potential landscape-level land use abundance diversity within insect communities. addition, analyzed Conservation Reserve Program's CP-42 patch acreage connectivity state county level better understand organization cover Iowa landscape. overall aim project broaden our knowledge vegetation, variety guilds, thereby informing future efforts

Language: Английский

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Research project on field data collection for honey bee colony model evaluation

EFSA Supporting Publications, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 18(7)

Published: July 1, 2021

Language: Английский

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Access to prairie pollen affects honey bee queen fecundity in the field and lab

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 6

Published: Aug. 12, 2022

Beekeepers experience high annual losses of colonies, with environmental stressors like pathogens, reduced forage, and pesticides as contributors. Some factors, nutritional stress from flower abundance or diversity, are more pronounced in agricultural landscapes where extensive farming limits pollen availability. In addition to affecting other aspects colony health, quantity quality available important for brood production likely queen egg laying. While some US beekeepers report &gt;50% loss due failure, the causes poor-quality queens poorly understood. Access resources native prairie habitat is suggested a valuable late-season resource honey bees that can reverse growth declines, but it not clear how forage influences We hypothesized present an Midwestern corn/soybean agroecosystem during critical late season period affect bee laying access prairies increase productivity. To test this, we designed field experiment Iowa, keeping colonies either soybean dearth, quantified well collection (quantity species). Then, using collected experiments, created representative dietary mixtures, which fed highly controlled laboratory cages consumption these diets affected naive queens. two out three years, laid eggs compared those fields. Pollen did vary between landscapes, composition species did, was primarily driven by evening primrose ( Oenothera biennis ). When caged eggs, suggesting this landscape plays role More work needed tease apart drivers differences, understanding regulated useful designing sustainable pollinator management inform feeding regimes beekeepers.

Language: Английский

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