scholarly journals Why Are Queens Broodless? Failed Nest Initiation Not Linked to Parasites, Mating Status, or Ovary Development in Two Bumble Bee Species of Pyrobombus (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus)

2019 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 575-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L Mullins ◽  
James P Strange ◽  
Amber D Tripodi
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Commercial Production ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Ovary Development ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Mating Status ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Causal Factors

Abstract Bumble bees (Bombus [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) are important pollinators for agricultural crops, which has led to their commercial domestication. Despite their importance, little is known about the reproductive biology of bumble bees native to North America. The Hunt bumble bee (Bombus huntii Greene [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) and the Vosnesensky bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii Radoszkowski [Hymenoptera: Apidae] are native candidates for commercial production in western North America due to their efficacy in providing commercial pollination services. Availability of pollinators native to the region in which services would be provided would minimize the likelihood of introducing exotic species and spreading novel disease. Some parasites are known to affect bumble bee reproduction, but little is known about their prevalence in North America or how they affect queen success. Only 38% of wild-caught B. huntii and 51% wild-caught B. vosnesenskii queens collected between 2015 and 2017 initiated nests in the laboratory. Our objective was to identify causal factors leading to a queen’s inability to oviposit. To address this, we dissected each broodless queen and diagnosed diseases, assessed mating status, and characterized ovary development. Nematodes, arthropods, and microorganisms were detected in both species. Overall, 20% of queens were infected by parasites, with higher rates in B. vosnesenskii. Over 95% of both species were mated, and over 88% had developed ovaries. This suggests that parasitism and mating status were not primary causes of broodlessness. Although some failure to nest can be attributed to assessed factors, additional research is needed to fully understand the challenges presented by captive rearing.

scholarly journals The bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus) of Arkansas, fifty years later

2015 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber D. Tripodi ◽  
Allen L. Szalanski
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
North America ◽  
State Level ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
County Level ◽  
Historical Survey ◽  
National Trends ◽  
Historical Levels ◽  
Over Time

Many species of bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus Latreille) are declining throughout their ranges in North America, yet detecting population trends can be difficult when historical survey data are lacking.  In the present study, contemporary data is compared to a 1965 survey to detect changes in bumble bee distributions throughout Arkansas.  Using county-level records as a point of comparison to look for changes in state-wide occurrence among species over time, we find that state-level changes reflect national trends.  Contemporary records of Bombus bimaculatus Cresson and B. impatiens Cresson have more than tripled, while records for B. pensylvanicus (De Geer) show a decline to 61% of historical levels.  Although B. fervidus (Fabricius) has been reported infrequently in the state, misidentifications may have led to an overestimation of the state’s species richness.  In addition to an updated assessment of the bumble bees of Arkansas, we also provide new, localized information on the seasonal phenology and plant preferences of each species that can be used to guide conservation efforts.

Changes in sub-alpine tree distribution in western North America: a review of climatic and other causal factors

The Holocene ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina M. Rochefort ◽  
Ronda L. Little ◽  
Andrea Woodward ◽  
David L. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Causal Factors ◽  
Tree Distribution

Ovary development in bumble bee queens: the influence of abdominal temperature and food availability

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 2026-2030 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Daniel Vogt ◽  
Bernd Heinrich ◽  
Catherine Plowright
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Ovary Development ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Access To Food ◽  
Nearly Continuous ◽  
Ovary Growth ◽  
Short Growing Season

The influence of abdominal temperature (Tab) on ovary development was determined for queen bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) recently aroused from hibernation. Ovary growth was accelerated in queens with high Tab: after 6 days, laboratory-reared queens with mean Tab = 24°C showed negligible ovary growth (compared with the ovaries of queens sacrificed before arousal from hibernation), whereas queens with mean Tab = 27 and 32°C exhibited near 35 and 135% increases, respectively. The presence of pollen and honey in the diet also had a pronounced effect on ovary development. Queens provided with pollen and honey ad libitum nearly tripled the mass of their ovaries in 8 days, whereas bees fed pollen alone or honey alone showed about a 50% increase. Queens provided with neither pollen nor honey exhibited about a 25% increase in ovary mass during the same period (all queens presumably can gain sustenance for ovary development from the reserve of food left in their honey crop when they emerge from hibernation). These results show that ovary growth can be rapid when queens maintain a high Tab with access to ample pollen and nectar, thereby enabling them to potentially accelerate colony founding. High Tab and nearly continuous access to food are factors that enable bumble bees to successfully rear colonies in a short growing season.

scholarly journals Bumble bees in landscapes with abundant floral resources have lower pathogen loads

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darin J. McNeil ◽  
Elyse McCormick ◽  
Ashley C. Heimann ◽  
Melanie Kammerer ◽  
Margaret R. Douglas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Nesting Resources

AbstractThe pollination services provided by bees are essential for supporting natural and agricultural ecosystems. However, bee population declines have been documented across the world. Many of the factors known to undermine bee health (e.g., poor nutrition) can decrease immunocompetence and, thereby, increase bees’ susceptibility to diseases. Given the myriad of stressors that can exacerbate disease in wild bee populations, assessments of the relative impact of landscape habitat conditions on bee pathogen prevalence are needed to effectively conserve pollinator populations. Herein, we assess how landscape-level conditions, including various metrics of floral/nesting resources, insecticides, weather, and honey bee (Apis mellifera) abundance, drive variation in wild bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) pathogen loads. Specifically, we screened 890 bumble bee workers from varied habitats in Pennsylvania, USA for three pathogens (deformed wing virus, black queen cell virus, and Vairimorpha (= Nosema) bombi), Defensin expression, and body size. Bumble bees collected within low-quality landscapes exhibited the highest pathogen loads, with spring floral resources and nesting habitat availability serving as the main drivers. We also found higher loads of pathogens where honey bee apiaries are more abundant, a positive relationship between Vairimorpha loads and rainfall, and differences in pathogens by geographic region. Collectively, our results highlight the need to support high-quality landscapes (i.e., those with abundant floral/nesting resources) to maintain healthy wild bee populations.

scholarly journals Native Bees, Honeybees, and Pollination in Oregon Cranberries

HortScience ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 885-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Broussard ◽  
Sujaya Rao ◽  
William P. Stephen ◽  
Linda White
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Regression ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Vaccinium Macrocarpon ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Insect Pollination ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Pollen Loads ◽  
Native Bee

Cultivated cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) relies on insect pollination for berry production. Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) have historically provided this service, but their recent decline has underscored the need for additional pollinators. The objective of this study was to determine the richness and abundance of native bees in the cranberry-growing area of southern coastal Oregon and compare foraging behaviors of honeybees and native bees. In a 2-year study, we collected over 27 native bee species in traps set out during and after bloom (mid-May to mid-June). During 67 2-min observations, honeybees (68.1%) and three species of bumble bees (Bombus spp.; 31.6%) comprised 99.7% of foragers. The dominant bumble bee was Bombus vosnesenskii Radoszkowski (56.0%). Multivariate regression of temperature and wind speed data indicated that both were significantly predictive of honeybee and bumble bee foragers (P < 0.001). The interquartile range for foraging was 18.3 to 22.2 °C for bumble bees and 21.1 to 26.7 °C for honeybees. Over 75% of honeybees were seen foraging above the average observed temperature (19.5 °C). Bumble bee pollen loads had a greater dry mass (6.8 ± 12.9 mg) than those of honeybees (2.0 ± 3.6 mg; P < 0.001), and the latter were observed collecting nectar but no pollen more often (during 37.2% of visits) than bumble bees (11.3% of visits). Based on our results, bumble bees in general, and B. vosnesenskii in particular, may be providing significant pollination services for Oregon cranberry farms. However, to maintain current native bumble bee populations, conservation efforts are recommended.

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 Conservation Conundrum: At-risk Bumble Bees (Bombus spp.) Show Preference for Invasive Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca) While Foraging in Protected Areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby D Gibson ◽  
Amanda R Liczner ◽  
Sheila R Colla
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
North America ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Bee Foraging ◽  
Vicia Cracca

AbstractIn recent decades, some bumble bee species have declined, including in North America. Declines have been reported in species of bumble bees historically present in Ontario, including: yellow bumble bee (Bombus fervidus) (Fabricus, 1798), American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) (DeGeer, 1773), and yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola) (Kirby, 1837). Threats contributing to bumble bee population declines include: land-use changes, habitat loss, climate change, pathogen spillover, and pesticide use. A response to the need for action on pollinator preservation in North America has been to encourage ‘bee-friendly’ plantings. Previous studies show differences in common and at-risk bumble bee foraging; however, similar data are unavailable for Ontario. Our research question is whether there is a difference in co-occurring at-risk and common bumble bee (Bombus spp.) floral use (including nectar and pollen collection) in protected areas in southern Ontario. We hypothesize that common and at-risk species forage differently, predicting that at-risk species forage on a limited selection of host plants. We conducted a field survey of sites in southern Ontario, using observational methods to determine bumble bee foraging by species. The results of a redundancy analysis show a difference in foraging between common and at-risk bumblebee species. At-risk bumble bee species show a preference for foraging on invasive, naturalized Vicia cracca (tufted vetch). This finding raises the question of how to preserve or provide forage for at-risk bumble bees, when they show an association with an invasive species often subject to control in protected areas.

scholarly journals Test of the invasive pathogen hypothesis of bumble bee decline in North America

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (16) ◽  
pp. 4386-4391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sydney A. Cameron ◽  
Haw Chuan Lim ◽  
Jeffrey D. Lozier ◽  
Michelle A. Duennes ◽  
Robbin Thorp
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
North America ◽  
North American ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Nosema Bombi ◽  
Bee Decline

Emergent fungal diseases are critical factors in global biodiversity declines. The fungal pathogen Nosema bombi was recently found to be widespread in declining species of North American bumble bees (Bombus), with circumstantial evidence suggesting an exotic introduction from Europe. This interpretation has been hampered by a lack of knowledge of global genetic variation, geographic origin, and changing prevalence patterns of N. bombi in declining North American populations. Thus, the temporal and spatial emergence of N. bombi and its potential role in bumble bee decline remain speculative. We analyze Nosema prevalence and genetic variation in the United States and Europe from 1980, before an alleged introduction in the early 1990s, to 2011, extracting Nosema DNA from Bombus natural history collection specimens from across this time period. Nosema bombi prevalence increased significantly from low detectable frequency in the 1980s to significantly higher frequency in the mid- to late-1990s, corresponding to a period of reported massive infectious outbreak of N. bombi in commercial bumble bee rearing stocks in North America. Despite the increased frequency, we find no conclusive evidence of an exotic N. bombi origin based on genetic analysis of global Nosema populations; the widespread Nosema strain found currently in declining United States bumble bees was present in the United States before commercial colony trade. Notably, the US N. bombi is not detectably different from that found predominantly throughout Western Europe, with both regions characterized by low genetic diversity compared with high levels of diversity found in Asia, where commercial bee breeding activities are low or nonexistent.

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