scholarly journals Why Enhancement of Floral Resources in Agro-Ecosystems Benefit Honeybees and Beekeepers?

10.5772/24523 ◽  
2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Decourtye Axel ◽  
Alaux Cedric ◽  
Odoux Jean-Francois ◽  
Henry Mickael ◽  
Vaissiere Bernard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Floral Resources

scholarly journals Seasonality of floral resources in relation to bee activity in agroecosystems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 3130-3147
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Guezen ◽  
Jessica R. K. Forrest
Keyword(s):  
Floral Resources

scholarly journals Eristalis flower flies can be mechanical vectors of the common trypanosome bee parasite, Crithidia bombi

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abby E. Davis ◽  
Kaitlin R. Deutsch ◽  
Alondra M. Torres ◽  
Mesly J. Mata Loya ◽  
Lauren V. Cody ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Active Infection ◽  
Osmia Lignaria ◽  
Crithidia Bombi ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
The Common ◽  
Flower Flies ◽  
Bee Communities

AbstractFlowers can be transmission platforms for parasites that impact bee health, yet bees share floral resources with other pollinator taxa, such as flies, that may be hosts or non-host vectors (i.e., mechanical vectors) of parasites. Here, we assessed whether the fecal-orally transmitted gut parasite of bees, Crithidia bombi, can infect Eristalis tenax flower flies. We also investigated the potential for two confirmed solitary bee hosts of C. bombi, Osmia lignaria and Megachile rotundata, as well as two flower fly species, Eristalis arbustorum and E. tenax, to transmit the parasite at flowers. We found that C. bombi did not replicate (i.e., cause an active infection) in E. tenax flies. However, 93% of inoculated flies defecated live C. bombi in their first fecal event, and all contaminated fecal events contained C. bombi at concentrations sufficient to infect bumble bees. Flies and bees defecated inside the corolla (flower) more frequently than other plant locations, and flies defecated at volumes comparable to or greater than bees. Our results demonstrate that Eristalis flower flies are not hosts of C. bombi, but they may be mechanical vectors of this parasite at flowers. Thus, flower flies may amplify or dilute C. bombi in bee communities, though current theoretical work suggests that unless present in large populations, the effects of mechanical vectors will be smaller than hosts.

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

Forests ◽  
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.

scholarly journals More Power with Flower for the Pupal Parasitoid Trichopria drosophilae: A Candidate for Biological Control of the Spotted Wing Drosophila

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 628
Author(s):  
Annette Herz ◽  
Eva Dingeldey ◽  
Camilla Englert
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Spotted Wing Drosophila ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Lifetime Fecundity ◽  
Threefold Increase ◽  
Candidate Species ◽  
Berry Crops ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Crop System

Parasitoids are currently considered for biological control of the spotted wing drosophila (SWD) in berry crops. Releases of mass-reared parasitoids require the presence of all resources necessary to ensure their effectiveness in the crop system. The use of floral resources to feed Trichopria drosophilae, one of the candidate species, was investigated in a laboratory study. The life expectancy of males and females increased by three to four times when they had access to flowers of buckwheat or of two cultivars of sweet alyssum. Female realized lifetime fecundity increased from 27 offspring/female exposed to water only to 69 offspring/female exposed to buckwheat flowers. According to this almost threefold increase in parasitoid fitness, it is advisable to introduce flowering plants into the crop system, when parasitoid releases are carried out. Sweet alyssum offers the advantage of not growing too tall in combination with an extended blooming. However, adult SWD were also able to feed on flowers of both plants and survived for at least 27 days, much longer than starving flies. The introduction of flowering plants to promote natural enemies therefore requires further consideration of the risk–benefit balance under field conditions to prevent unintended reinforcement of this pest.

scholarly journals Identity of mass-flowering crops moderates functional trait composition of pollinator communities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Beyer ◽  
Felix Kirsch ◽  
Doreen Gabriel ◽  
Catrin Westphal
Keyword(s):  
Faba Bean ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Flower Morphology ◽  
Landscape Diversity ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Mass Flowering ◽  
Wild Bee

Abstract Context Pollinator declines and functional homogenization of farmland insect communities have been reported. Mass-flowering crops (MFC) can support pollinators by providing floral resources. Knowledge about how MFC with dissimilar flower morphology affect functional groups and functional trait compositions of wild bee communities is scarce. Objective We investigated how two morphologically different MFC, land cover and local flower cover of semi-natural habitats (SNH) and landscape diversity affect wild bees and their functional traits (body size, tongue length, sociality, foraging preferences). Methods We conducted landscape-level wild bee surveys in SNH of 30 paired study landscapes covering an oilseed rape (OSR) (Brassica napus L.) gradient. In 15 study landscapes faba beans (Vicia faba L.) were grown, paired with respective control landscapes without grain legumes. Results Faba bean cultivation promoted bumblebees (Bombus spp. Latreille), whereas non-Bombus densities were only driven by the local flower cover of SNH. High landscape diversity enhanced wild bee species richness. Faba bean cultivation enhanced the proportions of social wild bees, bees foraging on Fabaceae and slightly of long-tongued bumblebees. Solitary bee proportions increased with high covers of OSR. High local SNH flower covers mitigated changes of mean bee sizes caused by faba bean cultivation. Conclusions Our results show that MFC support specific functional bee groups adapted to their flower morphology and can alter pollinators` functional trait composition. We conclude that management practices need to target the cultivation of functionally diverse crops, combined with high local flower covers of diverse SNH to create heterogeneous landscapes, which sustain diverse pollinator communities.

scholarly journals Joint Impacts of Drought and Habitat Fragmentation on Native Bee Assemblages in a California Biodiversity Hotspot

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 135
Author(s):  
Keng-Lou James Hung ◽  
Sara S. Sandoval ◽  
John S. Ascher ◽  
David A. Holway
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Relative Magnitude ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Drought Event ◽  
Fragmented Habitat ◽  
Native Bee

Global climate change is causing more frequent and severe droughts, which could have serious repercussions for the maintenance of biodiversity. Here, we compare native bee assemblages collected via bowl traps before and after a severe drought event in 2014 in San Diego, California, and examine the relative magnitude of impacts from drought in fragmented habitat patches versus unfragmented natural reserves. Bee richness and diversity were higher in assemblages surveyed before the drought compared to those surveyed after the drought. However, bees belonging to the Lasioglossum subgenus Dialictus increased in abundance after the drought, driving increased representation by small-bodied, primitively eusocial, and generalist bees in post-drought assemblages. Conversely, among non-Dialictus bees, post-drought years were associated with decreased abundance and reduced representation by eusocial species. Drought effects were consistently greater in reserves, which supported more bee species, than in fragments, suggesting that fragmentation either had redundant impacts with drought, or ameliorated effects of drought by enhancing bees’ access to floral resources in irrigated urban environments. Shifts in assemblage composition associated with drought were three times greater compared to those associated with habitat fragmentation, highlighting the importance of understanding the impacts of large-scale climatic events relative to those associated with land use change.

Management of Overwintering Cover Crops Influences Floral Resources and Visitation by Native Bees

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 999-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E. Ellis ◽  
Mary E. Barbercheck
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Native Bees

scholarly journals A New Approach to Inform Restoration and Management Decisions for Sustainable Apiculture

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6109
Author(s):  
Joanne Lee Picknoll ◽  
Pieter Poot ◽  
Michael Renton
Keyword(s):  
Floral Resources ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Colony Loss ◽  
Supply Potential ◽  
Australian Case ◽  
Stocking Rates

Habitat loss has reduced the available resources for apiarists and is a key driver of poor colony health, colony loss, and reduced honey yields. The biggest challenge for apiarists in the future will be meeting increasing demands for pollination services, honey, and other bee products with limited resources. Targeted landscape restoration focusing on high-value or high-yielding forage could ensure adequate floral resources are available to sustain the growing industry. Tools are currently needed to evaluate the likely productivity of potential sites for restoration and inform decisions about plant selections and arrangements and hive stocking rates, movements, and placements. We propose a new approach for designing sites for apiculture, centred on a model of honey production that predicts how changes to plant and hive decisions affect the resource supply, potential for bees to collect resources, consumption of resources by the colonies, and subsequently, amount of honey that may be produced. The proposed model is discussed with reference to existing models, and data input requirements are discussed with reference to an Australian case study area. We conclude that no existing model exactly meets the requirements of our proposed approach, but components of several existing models could be combined to achieve these needs.

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