Bee Basics GCSAA 2015 February 23, 2015 Faith B. Kuehn DE Dept. of Agriculture PHOTO: Bryan Bergner
Outline o To Be a Bee o Pollination o The world of bees Pollinators Scoundrels and Wannabees o What Bees Need
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
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)
Pollination IMAGE: Diagramsite.com
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
Insect Pollinators Butterflies Bees Moths Flies Beetles Ants Wasps PHOTOS: Eristalis tenax, Everes comyntas, Megacyllene robinae (clockwise). Chuck Younger
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
From Economic Entomology for the Farmer and Fruit Grower 1896
Dandelion Pollen PHOTO: Glyn Nelson, Creative Commons
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..
Hollow Heart
approximately one in every three mouthfuls of food
Seed Production
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
PHOTO: John Flannery, Creative Commons
Bees vs. Wasps Bees Wasps Diet Pollen, nectar Pollen, soft-bodied insects, spiders Hair Dense, branched Sparse, simple
Apis mellifera Photo: Susan Ellis
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
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
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
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
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: www.discoverlife.org
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
Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa PHOTO: Susan Ellis
Xylocopa virginica Large carpenter bee PHOTO: Donna Race, Creative Commons
Holopasites calliopsidis cleptoparasite PHOTO: Clay Bolt, claybolt.com
Bombus fernaldae Social parasite PHOTOS: Nicole Shutt, US Forest Service (l), Creative Commons (r)
Bee Mimics (Wannabees) PHOTOS: Charles Younger Hover fly (l), Eristalis tenax, Drone fly(r)
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
Flower Choice and Availability Image from page 350 of "Rocky Mountain flowers : an illustrated guide for plant-lovers and plant-users" (1920)
PHOTO: Charles Younger
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
PHOTO: Bryan Bergner
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
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
Nesting and Overwintering Resources PHOTO: Emilian Robert Vicol, Creative Commons:
Ground Nesting Bees PHOTO: Josh Thompson, University of Florida Extension
Snags (standing dead trees) Perching sites for a variety of wildlife Nesting site for cavity-nesting bees Architectural interest
PHOTOS: Mainz, Germany (l), Tucson, AZ (r) Bee Houses
Landscape Management Reduced Mowing
PHOTO: Heather Harmon Disque