Bee Basics. GCSAA 2015 February 23, 2015 Faith B. Kuehn DE Dept. of Agriculture. PHOTO: Bryan Bergner

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1 Bee Basics GCSAA 2015 February 23, 2015 Faith B. Kuehn DE Dept. of Agriculture PHOTO: Bryan Bergner

2 Outline o To Be a Bee o Pollination o The world of bees Pollinators Scoundrels and Wannabees o What Bees Need

3 To Be a Bee o Closely related to wasps, ants, and sawflies o Approximately 20,000 species worldwide o Approximately 4,000 species in USA o Native, introduced, and invasive species o Solitary and social

4 To Be a Bee o Nest in ground or in a cavity o Diet = pollen and nectar o Polylectic (generalist foragers) o Oligolectic (specialists, tend to use few host plants)

5 Pollination IMAGE: Diagramsite.com

6 Pollinators More than 75% of Earth s angiosperms (flowering plants) rely on over 200,000 animal species for pollination* Bees (managed and wild) Wasps Ants Beetles Birds Bats Butterflies *Status of Pollinators in North America, National Research Council, 2007

7 Insect Pollinators Butterflies Bees Moths Flies Beetles Ants Wasps PHOTOS: Eristalis tenax, Everes comyntas, Megacyllene robinae (clockwise). Chuck Younger

8 Bees: the Ultimate Pollinators* o Possess abundant, pollen-trapping hair o Have specialized flower-handling and flower-foraging behavior o Rely on pollen and nectar to raise offspring * Pitts-Singer and James in Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems, 2008

9 From Economic Entomology for the Farmer and Fruit Grower 1896

10 Dandelion Pollen PHOTO: Glyn Nelson, Creative Commons

11 Bee-Pollinated Crops Alfalfa, Almond, Apple, Avocado, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cantaloupe, Cherry, Clover, Cranberry, Cucumber, Kiwi, Nectarine, Peach, Pear, Pepper, Plum, Raspberry, Pumpkin, Squash, Strawberry, Sunflower, Tomato, Watermelon..

12 Hollow Heart

13 approximately one in every three mouthfuls of food

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15 Seed Production

16 Bees are a Keystone Species o Plays a unique and crucial role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community. o Without them, the ecosystem would be different or vanish. o Impact on the community is disproportionately large, compared to species relative abundance. PHOTO: Charles Younger

17 PHOTO: John Flannery, Creative Commons

18 Bees vs. Wasps Bees Wasps Diet Pollen, nectar Pollen, soft-bodied insects, spiders Hair Dense, branched Sparse, simple

19 Apis mellifera Photo: Susan Ellis

20 Honey vs. Native Bees Characteristic Honey bees Native bees Organization Social Solitary or seasonally social Stinger Barbed, 1 sting Smooth, multiple stings Production of honey Abundant None or only for larvae Nest Cavity, large Primarily soil Flower fidelity Yes Not usually Flight range Up to 2 miles from hive Few hundred feet Population size Seasonality Relatively large, more predictable Spring through fall, continuous offspring Relatively small, variable Maybe only spring, univoltine

21 Colletidae PHOTO: Colletes inequalis Patrick Murray, Creative Commons Polyester Bees o Solitary, can aggregate o Cellophane-like cell linings o Short tongue o Some carry pollen in crop o Ground nesters

22 Andrenidae PHOTO: Andrena spp. Edward Trammel, Creative Commons Mining Bees Black and reddish with white bands Short tongue Many species are pollen specialists Soil nesters Common in early spring

23 o Ground nesters, most polylectic o Brown,black, some metallic colored o Some attracted to sweat (salt) o Diverse family with many species o Some parasitic on other bees Halictidae Sweat Bees PHOTO: Augochloropsis spp. A. Jaszlics, Creative Commons

24 Megachilidae Leafcutter & Mason Bees o Stout bees that carry pollen under their abdomen o Nest in existing cavities o Solitary o Some have jaws modified for cutting leaves, use to line nests o Mason bees are good fruit pollinators, line nest cavities with mud PHOTO:

25 Apidae: Bumble, Carpenter, Honey & etc. Majority are eusocial, some communal, solitary Long tongue Ground and cavity nesters Photo (l): Bombus bimaculatus, John Wayne (r) Ceratina spp., Matt Sarver

26 Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa PHOTO: Susan Ellis

27 Xylocopa virginica Large carpenter bee PHOTO: Donna Race, Creative Commons

28 Holopasites calliopsidis cleptoparasite PHOTO: Clay Bolt, claybolt.com

29 Bombus fernaldae Social parasite PHOTOS: Nicole Shutt, US Forest Service (l), Creative Commons (r)

30 Bee Mimics (Wannabees) PHOTOS: Charles Younger Hover fly (l), Eristalis tenax, Drone fly(r)

31 The Big 3 for Bees 1. Flower choice - Season long availability of varied pollen and nectar sources 2. Nesting & overwintering resources 3. Landscape management that does not interfere with resource availability

32 Flower Choice and Availability Image from page 350 of "Rocky Mountain flowers : an illustrated guide for plant-lovers and plant-users" (1920)

33 PHOTO: Charles Younger

34 General Guidance o Native plants preferred for native bees o Pollen and nectar sources o Variety of bloom times o Variety of shapes and colors o No doubles or pollenless varieties o Succession planning

35 PHOTO: Bryan Bergner

36 o Spring through Fall (honey bees, bumble bees) o Spring (Osmia: horn-faced, orchard, mason) o Primarily Summer (green, sweat, squash, digger) o Summer and Fall Bee Seasons

37 Flowering Native Plants That Attract Bees and Predators B L O O M T I M E Common Name Scientific name Color March April May June July August Sept. Octobe Black willow Salix nigra Red maple Acer rubrum Wild strawberry Fragaria virginiana American wild plum Prunus americana Black cherry Prunus serotina Tall white beard-tongue Penstemon digitalis Common milkweed Asclepias syrica Black-eyed susan Rudbeckia hirta Blue vervain Verbena hastata Wild bergamont Monarda fistulosa Ox-eye sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides Early goldenrod Solidago juncea New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica Dense blazing star Liatris spicata Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

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39 Nesting and Overwintering Resources PHOTO: Emilian Robert Vicol, Creative Commons:

40 Ground Nesting Bees PHOTO: Josh Thompson, University of Florida Extension

41 Snags (standing dead trees) Perching sites for a variety of wildlife Nesting site for cavity-nesting bees Architectural interest

42 PHOTOS: Mainz, Germany (l), Tucson, AZ (r) Bee Houses

43 Landscape Management Reduced Mowing

44 PHOTO: Heather Harmon Disque