Pollen Sources in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Diet in Ellis County, Kansas

Abstract

Pollinators are integral to plant ecology as well as to worldwide food availability and security. Understanding the diet of honey bees (Apis mellifera) and knowing how human-driven land use change impacts the nutrition of managed honey bees is important in pollinator conservation efforts and can contribute towards combating recent pollinator declines. The objective of this study was to determine sources of forage for honey bees across different land use types in Ellis County, Kansas, through pollen analysis and taxonomic identification. Replicate study colonies were placed in three separate land use types: urban, cropland, or native/semi-native prairie. Pollen was sampled every 7 to 14 days throughout a growing season (April 1 to September 30) to identify key resources and their availability throughout time and space. Images of pollen from 110 species are presented. Pollen abundance (mass) varied greatly throughout time and across treatments, although urban colonies trended toward higher pollen abundance and cropland colonies trended toward reduced pollen abundance. Pollen from 41 different plant taxa was collected from experimental hives, with willows (Salix) and clovers (Melilotus/Trifolium) observed in abundance among all land use treatments. Unique distinctions among floral resources utilized in the three land use treatments included the abundance of trees in urban habitat, the prevalence of weedy species in cropland habitat, and the lack of grass pollen collected in cropland habitat. These results provide insight on available resources as well as honey bee preferences and foraging behaviors. Understanding the availability of floral resources in prairies can help to inform conservation decisions and improve understanding of community ecology and health of native pollinators in prairies.