Forage for bumble bees and honey bees in farmland: a case study

Abstract

SUMMARYBee visits and the abundance of flowers of different plant species were recorded on a standard walk through UK farmland on 30 occasions in 1989 (the seasonal survey), and in dawn-to-dusk studies. Most of the species visited by bees were perennials. In the seasonal survey (a total of 1 221 bee visits), most visits were made by the long-tongued bumble bee, Bombus pascuorum (447) and by honey bees, Apis mellifera (321). Another long-tongued bumble bee, B. hortorum, was also abundant. The main forage plants important for both long-tongued bumble bee species comprised a seasonal succession of labiates: Lamium album, Stachys sylvatica and Ballota nigra. Plants visited by shorter-tongued bumble bees (B. terrestris/B. lucorum, B. pratorum and B. lapidarius), and honey bees, included Rubus fruticosus agg., Cirsium vulgare, Epilobium hirsutum, Heracleum sphondylium and Brassica napus, and probably other plants outside the survey area. Dawn-to-dusk studies showed that long-tongued bumble bee species were larg...