Survey Of Bees Research Articles

Evolutionary history of nematodes associated with sweat bees

Organisms that live in close association with other organisms make up a large part of the world’s diversity. One driver of this diversity is the evolution of host-species specificity, which can occur via reproductive isolation following a host-switch or, given the correct circumstances, via cospeciation. In this study, we explored the diversity and evolutionary history of Acrostichus nematodes that are associated with halictid bees in North America. First, we conducted surveys of bees in Virginia, and found six halictid species that host Acrostichus. To test the hypothesis of cospeciation, we constructed phylogenetic hypotheses of Acrostichus based on three genes. We found Acrostichus puri and Acrostichus halicti to be species complexes comprising cryptic, host-specific species. Although several nodes in the host and symbiont phylogenies were congruent and tests for cospeciation were significant, the host’s biogeography, the apparent patchiness of the association across the host’s phylogeny, and the amount of evolution in the nematode sequence suggested a mixture of cospeciation, host switching, and extinction events instead of strict cospeciation. Cospeciation can explain the relationships between Ac. puri and its augochlorine hosts, but colonization of Halictus hosts is more likely than cospeciation. The nematodes are vertically transmitted, but sexual transmission is also likely. Both of these transmission modes may explain host-species specificity and congruent bee and nematode phylogenies. Additionally, all halictid hosts come from eusocial or socially polymorphic lineages, suggesting that sociality may be a factor in the suitability of hosts for Acrostichus.

A survey of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) from Fars Province, Iran

We report 177 bee species from the Fars Province, Iran, of which 91 are new records for Iran, including seven undescribed species. Among the material examined are 56 species of Apidae, 49 of Halictidae, 39 of Megachilidae, 31 of Andrenidae, 1 of Melittidae and 1 of Colletidae. All specimens are deposited in the Museum of Iranian Pollinating Insects of Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran.

A Faunistic Survey of Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in the Black Belt Prairie of Mississippi

A survey of bees (Apoidea) in the Black Belt Prairie of northern Mississippi was conducted from 1991 to 2001. Collecting methods included netting specimens from floral hosts and use of malaise traps. The survey resulted in collection of 6138 specimens, of which 3627 were identified to 118 species. Of the 2511 unidentified specimens, the vast majority (2362) were specimens of Lasioglossum Curtis (Halictidae) in groups that are unrevised. The survey resulted in 51 new state records, increasing the total known species of bees in Mississippi to 177. Five species of Andrenidae have disjunct distributions from the Great Plains and western states. A list of the bee species in the Black Belt Prairie is provided with annotations on collection times, floral hosts, and collection methods.

Generalist Bee Species on Brazilian Bee-Plant Interaction Networks

Determining bee and plant interactions has an important role on understanding general biology of bee species as well as the potential pollinating relationship between them. Bee surveys have been conducted in Brazil since the end of the 1960s. Most of them applied standardized methods and had identified the plant species where the bees were collected. To analyze the most generalist bees on Brazilian surveys, we built a matrix of bee-plant interactions. We estimated the most generalist bees determining the three bee species of each surveyed locality that presented the highest number of interactions. We found 47 localities and 39 species of bees. Most of them belong to Apidae (31 species) and Halictidae (6) families and to Meliponini (14) and Xylocopini (6) tribes. However, most of the surveys presentedApis melliferaand/orTrigona spinipesas the most generalist species.Apis melliferais an exotic bee species andTrigona spinipes, a native species, is also widespread and presents broad diet breath and high number of individuals per colony.

Surveys of Wild Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) in Organic Farms of Alachua County in North-Central Florida

Bee surveys were conducted at 5 organic vegetable farms and 1 wildflower farm in Alachua County in north-central Florida. Wild bees were collected passively with colored cups and actively with nets. A total of 4,662 bees was captured belonging to 28 genera and 95 species. Nomada sulphurata Smith is a new state record for Florida. The species count also includes 6 Nomada and 1 Triepeolus morphospecies which likely include undescribed species and additional new Florida records. Of 5 bee families, Apidae was represented by the most species (36), whereas 6 of the 8 most numerous species were Halictidae. A potential new host cleptoparasite association is reported between Andrena (Melandrena) barbara Bouseman and LaBerge and Nomada imbricata Smith. The results from these surveys of organic farms are compared to our recently reported surveys of bees in natural areas of Alachua County and with other Florida bee surveys. The most numerous species found on the farms were also numerous in the natural areas, whereas the least numerous species on the farms included many species not found in the natural areas.View this article in BioOne

Activity and abundance of bumble bees near Crested Butte, Colorado: diel, seasonal, and elevation effects

1. We revisited bumble bee survey data collected by Pyke in 1974 (Pyke, Ecology, 63, 555–573, 1982) to evaluate seasonal changes in abundances of bumble bees and their floral resources, diel patterns of bumble bee activity, and elevation effects on plant and bumble bee phenology. 2. Bumble bee abundance increased during summer as spring queens founded colonies that produced workers, followed by males and autumn queens. The number of plant species visited by bumble bees increased to a peak in midsummer, then declined. 3. The number of bumble bees recorded per person-hour peaked later than the number of flowering plant species used by the bees. Few autumn queens were observed. 4. Despite species differences in emergence times of spring queens, there were no apparent phenological differences among species in worker abundances. 5. Because flowering commences later at higher elevation, abundances of workers and males are also shifted later; therefore elevational comparisons must be seasonally adjusted. 6. These analyses provide basic information about important pollinating insects, and permit future investigations of elevational shifts over time to be properly adjusted for phenological and elevation effects in survey data.

Orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the coastal forests of southern Brazil: diversity, efficiency of sampling methods and comparison with other Atlantic forest surveys

Surveys of orchid bees at the Brazilian Atlantic forest have been restricted to a few regions, making difficult to understand latitudinal patterns of distribution and diversity of these bees. For this reason we sampled the euglossine fauna at Atlantic forest areas at the coastal region of São Paulo (Sete Barras, Faz. Morro do Capim: SP3) and state of Paraná (Antonina, Reserva Natural do Rio Cachoeira: PR3), in southern Brazil. In PR3, we also evaluated the efficiency of collecting methods for sampling the fauna, comparing bait traps with direct collecting using entomological nets on fragrance baits. The diversity and abundance of bees was very low: we caught only 39 males of eight species in SP3 (Euglossa iopoecila, Euglossa roderici, Eulaema nigrita, Euglossa annectans, Eulaema cingulata, Euglossa pleosticta, Euglossa viridis and Exaerete smaragdina) and 254 males of six species in PR3 (Euglossa iopoecila, Euglossa annectans, Euglossa stellfeldi, Euglossa roderici, Euglossa pleosticta and Eulaema nigrita). Comparing the sampling methodologies, use of insect nets on fragrance baits (six species; 221 specimens) was more efficient than bait traps (three species; 33 specimens). When comparing the faunas of these two areas with other surveys at the Atlantic forest sites, through a DCA analysis, we found that the two surveys presented in this paper were placed relatively close to each other, but apart from the other sites analyzed, not clustering with the southernmost survey at the subtropical Atlantic forest of Rio Grande do Sul or with the remaining surveys carried out at northern lowland sites of this biome.

Surveys of Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) in Natural Areas of Alachua County in North-Central Florida

Bee surveys were conducted in Alachua County, Florida, at 1 to 6 sites within each of 4 natural areas including 2 large state preserves. Bees were collected passively with colored cups and actively with nets. A total of 2,590 bees were captured belonging to 34 genera and 111 species. Of the 5 bee families found, Apidae was represented by the most species, whereas the 6 most numerous species were Halictidae. Six species are new state records for Florida. Males of the rarely-collected Florida endemic bee Stelis ater Mitchell were discovered, and this species is reported for the first time as a cleptoparasite of Osmia chalybea Smith, confirmed by rearing from trap nests. Other potential new host-parasite associations are discussed. Bee species lists and ecological patterns are compared with those from previous surveys in southern Florida. Distinctive characteristics of the north-central Florida bee fauna are discussed including the presence of both northern and peninsular species, subspecies, and populations.

The Montane Bee Fauna of North Central Washington, USA, with Floral Associations

The mountains of north central Washington contain a variety of habitat types, from shrubsteppe to high alpine meadows. While native bee surveys of some surrounding areas like the Columbia Basin are fairly complete, little work has been done in the mountains of north central Washington to document the diversity of bees found therein. We conducted a survey of native bees in the Tonasket Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest during summer 2004. Collections yielded a diverse bee fauna (140 species in 24 genera) visiting diverse floral elements (57 plant species in 18 families). These preliminary data suggest that a rich bee fauna exists in the Okanogan Basin and surrounding mountains.

BEES AND MELITTOPHILOUS PLANTS OF SECONDARY ATLANTIC FOREST HABITATS AT SANTA CATARINA ISLAND, SOUTHERN BRAZIL

The present study contributes to the knowledge of the apifauna and its food sources on the Santa Catarina Island, SC, southern Brazil. Bees and their food sources were recorded through non-systematic collections, between November 1999 and April 2008, in several environments on the island. A total of 169 species of bees were captured on 126 species of melittophilous plants. The majority of plants recorded are subshrub and shrub species, with only nine species of trees. 91% of the bee species were collected on native plants, which represent 64% of plant species, while only seven species of bees (4%) were captured exclusively on exotic plants (27% of the plant species). In our study, we show the importance of non-arboreal native plants in maintaining a rich diversity of bees and we indicate plant species that can be used as target species in rapid surveys of the subtropical apifauna in Brazil. The spectrum of species with oligolectic habits and their pollen sources as well as the recording of new food sources for rare species in surveys of bees on flowers are discussed.

The Squash Bee Xenoglossa kansensis Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Found in Organic Farms in Northern Florida

In surveys of bees in organic farms and natural preserves in Alachua County, Florida, numerous Xenoglossa {Eo xenoglossa) kansensis Cockerell were caught in 2006 and 2007. This is the first record of this species in Florida, whereas presence of the similar X. (Eoxenoglossa) strenua (Cresson) has been documented previously (Mitchell, 1962; Hurd and Linsley, 1964). Genus Xenoglossa includes the large squash and gourd bees that collect pollen exclusively from Cucurbita flowers and are known to be highly effective pollinators (Hurd and Linsley, 1964, 1967; Hurd et al., 1971). Substantial amounts of squash are grown in Florida, and this newly detected bee species may contribute significantly to the production of this valuable crop.

Scientific note on mass collection and hatching of honey bee embryos

Honey bees provide excellent opportunities for studying development, behavior, and defenses against natural parasites and pathogens. They are also a critical component of modern agriculture, through their leading role in pollinating the world’s crops (Aizen and Harder, 2009). Research and diagnostic methods for honey bees require efficient sampling methods for all colony members, often involving a large number of individual bees. As one example, surveys of honey bees for their pathogens require substantial sample sizes within colonies, especially when there is variation across individuals in infection rate or pathogen loads. This need for greater sampling must be balanced by the expenses involved with collecting and screening numerous colony members. In the case of whole-colony surveys for pathogens, mass extractions from adult workers require scaled up amounts of expensive reagents and, as a result, most such surveys have been limited to a small subset of colony members (vanEngelsdorp et al., 2009). Further, collections of adult workers are likely to contain bees of varied ages and levels of pathogen exposure. For pathogens that are inherited vertically (e.g., many viruses, Chen et al., 2006a, b; Yue et al., 2007; de Miranda and Fries, 2008) it can be more informative to collect embryos as an indicator of pathogen risk. When transmission efficiency from queens to their embryos is variable, such collections need to be made on many individual embryos in order to ensure correct diagnoses. Mass removal of viable embryos can also be used as a screening tool for genetic traits of interest including genetic transformation events and, in principle, an efficient first step in programs for in vitro rearing of honey bee

Diversity of Bees at Different Altitudes in the Knuckles Forest Reserve

A year around survey of bees carried out in the Knuckles mountain range at different altitudes having specific habitat types highlighted the effect of altitude and habitat on the presence and abundance of bees. The study was based on hourly counts of bees made once every month in five selected habitats; natural forest, managed cardamom, Patana grassland, cultivated home gardens and mixture of habitats including home gardens, scrublands and rice fields, situated at different altitudes ranging from 150 - 1350 m. The study recorded a total of 62 bee species belonging to 26 genera in 4 families representing more than ¾ of the total bee fauna recorded for Sri Lanka. The distribution of bee species decreased with increasing elevation. Areas under cardamom cultivation harboured the lowest number of bee species. Shannon diversity index gave the highest score for the bee diversity in home gardens. The finding of this study highlights the fact that the highest diversity of bees is at lower elevations where the climate is comparatively warmer. Furthermore, at lower elevations due to human settlements, the vegetation comprises a mixture of cultivated crops, flowering herbs and patches of natural vegetation providing a ready source of pollen and nectar for bees throughout the year. Key Words: Knuckles Forest Reserve, bees, altitude, climate, vegetation doi: 10.4038/cjsbs.v37i1.496 Cey. J. Sci. (Bio. Sci.) 37 (1): 61-72, 2008

Mata ciliar do Rio São Francisco como biocorredor para Euglossini(Hymenoptera: Apidae) de florestas tropicais úmidas

Euglossini are typical bees of Neotropical rainforests and only a few species occur in the Caatinga. The São Francisco river, which is the only permanent river in the semi-arid NE-Brazil, is bordered by a gallery forest with evergreen leaves. This environment offers flooral rewards along the year. Surveys of euglossine bees by attracting males to scent baits showed that species of the Atlantic Rainforest like Euglossa imperialis Cockerel, E. truncata Moure and Eulaema cingulata Fabricius occur in the gallery forest of the São Francisco river under the semi-arid climate of the caatinga region. These bees are restricted to the gallery forests which function as bio-corridors, and are absent at places where the forests were cut down. This emphasizes the need to protect the threatened gallery forests to maintain biodiversity.

The Bee Fauna of Residential Gardens in a Suburb of New York City (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

AbstractAs suburban landscapes expand, it is critical to understand their capacity to support wildlife. Pollinators, specifically bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), are to some degree compatible with urbanization and may be able to exist in suburbs in diverse assemblages. We surveyed 21 residential gardens for bees in Westchester County, a suburban area immediately north of New York City. From a sample of 1,675 individuals, we documented 110 species, of which 95% were native, 50% were solitary, and 93% were polylectic. In terms of abundance of specimens, eusocial (50% of specimens), native (97%), and polylectic (98%) bees were dominant. Contrary to our expectation, based on previous bee surveys in urban landscapes, the bee community documented was not depauperate in either soil-nesting or parasitic species (65 and 19% of species, respectively), nor was it enriched in exotic species (6% of species). Instead, the assemblage resembled the richer bee fauna documented at a 1,520-ha research preserve (forest) located in the same region, although certain specialist (oligolectic) and/or forest-associated species were absent. These results suggest that suburban landscapes in eastern North America have the potential to host relatively diverse and intact bee communities.

A comunidade de abelhas (Hymenoptera, Apidae s. l.) em uma área restrita de campo natural no Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, Paraná: diversidade, fenologia e fontes florais de alimento

Coletas sistematicas de abelhas em uma area restrita no Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, Parana, no periodo de outubro de 2002 a outubro de 2003, resultaram em 1552 especimes pertencentes a 181 especies. Estas especies estao distribuidas em 58 generos, 24 tribos e 5 subfamilias. As plantas visitadas correspondem a 113 especies, em 72 generos e 38 familias. Megachile com 20 especies foi o genero mais rico e Ceratina o genero mais abundante dentre os generos nativos. Apis mellifera foi a especie mais coletada, correspondendo a 28% do total de individuos, e Bombus atratus foi a especie mais abundante dentre as abelhas nativas. A riqueza e a equitabilidade nos meses foram variaveis, sendo marco o mais rico e novembro o de maior equitabilidade. Apesar de tradicionalmente considerados parte das estepes sulinas, os campos de Vila Velha apresentam uma fauna de abelhas contendo varias especies tipicas de cerrado. O igual numero de especies entre as subfamilias Apinae e Halictinae tambem apontam para uma peculiaridade de sua fauna. Listas de abelhas e plantas coletadas sao apresentadas em anexo.

Quantifying a Rare Event: Pollen Theft by Honey Bees from Bumble Bees and Other Bees (Apoidea: Apidae, Megachilidae) Foraging at Flowers

Although honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) frequently raid conspecific colonies for pollen and nectar stores (Winston, 1987; Downs et al., 2001), they are rarely observed stealing pollen from foraging bees of other species (Laroca and Winston, 1978; Thorp and Briggs, 1980). Here I report observations of honey bees stealing pollen from three species of bee (Bombus impatiens Cresson (Apidae), Megachile montivaga Cresson (Megachilidae), and Melissodes desponsa Smith (Apidae)) at flowers of pasture thistle, Cirsium discolor (Muhl.) Spreng. (Asteraceae) in Indiana. This is the third report of such behavior, and like the others was observed at an Asteraceae species (Thorp and Briggs, 1980; Laroca and Winston, 1978). It is the first report to quantify the rarity of the behavior in Apis; based on this it is no surprise that there are few published reports. In addition, this is the first observation of pollen theft behavior in the eastern United States; previous reports were from California (Thorp and Briggs, 1980) and Kansas (Laroca and Winston, 1978). This is also the first report of a fast-flying (Melissodes) species being subject to cleptolecty (Thorp and Briggs, 1980), the theft of pollen from the pollen collecting apparatus of other bees by honey bees. I also report observations of honey bees collecting pollen from the abdomen of a bumble bee worker and a megachilid forager, similar to the pollen theft previously reported by Laroca and Winston (1978). I made these observations during a three-year (2001-2003) survey of bees in 5 sandy black oak savannas of northwestern Indiana. I netted bees at over 70 species of flowering plants from April-September each year, visiting each site approximately biweekly, and paying special attention to overlap in flower use by honey bees and native bees. Honey bees were commonly observed on flowers of Lupinus perennis L. (Fabaceae), Rubus spp. (Rosaceae), Scrophularia lanceolata Pursh. (Scrophulariaceae), Tradescantia ohiensis Raf. (Commelinaceae), Solidago spp. (Asteraceae) and Cirsium discolor, but pollen theft was only observed on C. discolor at a single site, and then only on three days. Pollen theft was observed on three days (30 August, 5 and 7 September 2003) at Conrad Station, Newton County, a savanna owned by The Nature Conservancy. Here, populations of C. discolor grow along abandoned railroad tracks. Common floral visitors include A. mellifera, B. impatiens, Bombus griseocollis (DeGeer), Melissodes desponsa, Megachile montivaga, and Ceratina spp. (Apidae). Two hives of A. mellifera were maintained 0.5 km from the thistle patch. Cirsium discolor stands 1-2 m high and has a large floral head (2.5-3.5 cm wide; Gleason and Cronquist, 1963) of several hundred blue, tubular florets that produce nectar and bright, white pollen presented on exserted stamens, which is easily seen on pollinators. The corolla tubes are approxi mately 2.5 cm deep, limiting nectar access to long-tongued species. On 30 August, approximately 10 B. impatiens workers were attacked by up to 2 Apis workers at a time between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m. At least some pollen appeared to be removed from each victim Bombus. Apis workers sought the corbicula loads on Bombus workers and usually removed a small amount of pollen, but never an entire corbicula load. Bombus responses were complacent and non-aggressive. One honey bee landed on a M. montivaga forager and took pollen from the dorsal portion of the abdomen, causing the victim to fly off. On 5 September at the same patch, six honey bees attempted to steal pollen on six occasions (one individual per occasion) from B. impatiens workers. On 3 of 5 attempts, a single honey bee removed part of a corbicula load. A sixth honey bee removed pollen from a bee's dorsal abdomen. Bumble bee responses were again limited. On three occasions they moved their rear legs back and forth as when grooming, twice they did not respond, and once the bumble bee flew from the flower. On 7 September, I photographed the activity (Fig. 1). Once again, between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., honey bees robbed pollen from B. impatiens on many occasions. On one occasion a single honey bee attempted to

Análise faunística de abelhas (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) coletadas no cerrado do Estado de São Paulo

The survey of bees was carried out every two weeks from August 2000 to July 2001, in two savanna areas of Pirassununga, São Paulo State, Brazil, with the aim of comparing the bees diversity between the areas. The first area, Cerradão (an extensive tract of waste land) shows vegetation between 15 to 20 m high and the second, Savanna is characterized by arboreal flora. The visiting insects were collected on both areas, with entomological net. The 511 collected specimens were classified in 51 species, being 200 from Cerradão and 311 from Savanna. The Similarity Quotient between the areas is 55.1% and the Similarity Percentage is 66.6%, with only 19 species in common for both areas. The predominant species for the first area were: Apis mellifera, Scaptotrigona sp. gr. Depilis, Tetrapedia rugulosa and Exomalopsis sp., and for the second were: Apis mellifera, Trigona hyalinata, Trigona spinipes and Ceratina (Crewella) sp., although the areas are very close to each others

A Comparative Overview of Flower Visiting by Non-Apis Bees in the Semi-arid to Arid Areas of Southern Africa

A comparative overview of flower visiting by non-Apis bees in the semi-arid to arid areas of southern Africa is presented. This is based on a survey of non-Apis bees and aculeate wasps in these areas. Flower visiting records (16,229) were assembled for 420 species of bees, 375 species of non-masarine wasps and 129 species of masarine wasps. Thirty six plant families were included. Of these 34 were visited by non-Apis bees, 28 by non-masarine wasps, and 22 by masarine wasps. In decreasing order, the ten families which received visits from the highest percentages of species of bees are: Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Aizoaceae, Zygophyllaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Acanthaceae, Boraginaceae, Scrophulariaceae, and Brassicaceae. Most bee species visiting Fabaceae visit Papilionoideae unlike wasps, of which most visiting Fabaceae visit Mimosoideae. In the analysis bees overall show a high diversity of flower family choice at the specific level similar to that of non-masarine wasps. All bee families show a range from oligophagy or from narrow polyphagy to relatively broad polyphagy. No species are indiscriminately polyphagous. Two bee families, Colletidae and Melittidae, show a diversity of choice at the specific level lower than that of the other bee families and similar to that shown by masarine wasps. This suggests, for these two families, a relatively high incidence of oligophagy equivalent to that shown by Masarinae.

A Survey of Cavity-Nesting Bees and Wasps in Loblolly Pine Stands of the Savannah River Site, Aiken County, South Carolina

Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Scott Horn, James L. Hanula; A Survey of Cavity-Nesting Bees and Wasps in Loblolly Pine Stands of the Savannah River Site, Aiken County, South Carolina. Journal of Entomological Science 1 July 2004; 39 (3): 464–469. doi: https://doi.org/10.18474/0749-8004-39.3.464 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest Search