Governmental agri-environment schemes (AES) aim to improve pollinator abundance and diversity on farmland by sowing wildflower seed mixes. These often contain high proportions of Fabaceae, particularly Trifolium (clovers), which are attractive to some bumblebee species, but not to most of the ~ 240 solitary bee species in the UK. Here we identify wildflowers that are attractive to a greater range of wild bee species. Forty-five wildflower species being farmed for commercial seed production on a single farm were surveyed for native bees. Bee walks were conducted through discrete wildflower areas from April until August in 2018. The results indicate that including a range of Apiaceae, Asteraceae, and Geraniaceae in seed mixes would cater for a wide diversity of bee species. A total of 14 wildflower species across nine families attracted 37 out of the 40 bee species recorded on the farm, and accounted for 99.7% of all visitations. Only two of these 14 species are included in current AES pollinator mixes. Unexpectedly, few visits were made by bumblebees to Trifolium spp. (0.5%), despite their being considered an important food source for bumblebees, while Anthyllis vulneraria and Geranium pratense were highly attractive. For solitary bees, Crepis capillaris, Sinapsis arvensis, Convolvulus arvensis and Chaerophyllum temulum were amongst the best performing species, none of which are usually included in sown flower mixes. We suggest that the standard 'pollinator' mixes used in AES might be updated to include some of these wildflower species, and trialled as seed mixes on farmland.
Wild bee populations – important pollinators of many plants – are threatened with extinction due to reduced food resources, destruction of nesting sites and habitat fragmentation.
The aim of this study is to determine the species diversity of wild bees in the parks of Kyiv. During the 2012-2017 spring-summer seasons a comprehensive study of the species composition and diversity of wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) was investigated. 115 wild bee species of 6 families and 34 genera have been found. Only 39 species among them were found in all parks and the common species are noted: Colletes cunicularius, Hylaeus communis, Andrena flavipes, Evylaeus calceatus, E. malachurus, E. politus, Anthophora plumipes, Bombus lucorum, B. terrestris, B. lapidarius, B. pascuorum. The proportions of species within each ecological group stay constant, except for the small decrease in oligolectic species. In all parks the ground-nesting bees are dominated. Bees that build nests in a different substrate (tree cavities, hollow plant stems, empties, holes, walls of buildings, and like) make up only 20 %. In general, on the territories of urban parks we have registered wild bees on the plants of more than 100 species from the families Asteraceaе, Fabaceaе, Lamiaceae, Rosaceaе. It should be noted, that ornamental flowering vegetation plays a significant role in wild bees nutrition in the city conditions. In some city parks we have found three species of wild bees that included in the Red Book of Ukraine: Bombus argillaceus, Xylocopa valga and Andrena chrysopus.
The results of our study show that city parks are important for the conservation of wild bee populations, and the main conditions for this are the availability of flower sources and nesting sites.
In order to understand the role of wild bees in both social and ecological systems, we conducted a quantitative and qualitative review of publications dealing with wild bees and the benefits they provide in social contexts. We classified publications according to several attributes such as services and benefits derived from wild bees, types of bee–human interactions, recipients of direct benefits, social contexts where wild bees are found, and sources of changes to the bee–human system. We found that most of the services and benefits from wild bees are related to food, medicine, and pollination. We also found that wild bees directly provide benefits to communities to a greater extent than individuals. In the social contexts where they are found, wild bees occupy a central role. Several drivers of change affect bee–human systems, ranging from environmental to political drivers. These are the areas where we recommend making interventions for conserving the bee-human system.
1. Concerns about insect declines are growing and the provisioning of ecosystem services like pollination may be threatened. To safeguard biodiversity, greening measures were introduced within the reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. One measure commonly applied by farmers is the cultivation of nitrogen fixing crops. Although underlying studies are largely missing, this measure is criticized as providing no significant biodiversity benefit. 2. Using a landscape-scale approach, we selected 30 paired study landscapes (1 km × 1 km) in Germany, that is, 15 study landscapes with faba bean (FB) fields (Vicia faba L .) a nd 15 w ithout a ny g rain l egumes. F lower-visiting w ild b ees were recorded with transect walks at the field margins of different crops using a stratified sampling approach. We analysed the effect of FB cultivation and landscape composition on the abundance and species richness of wild bees as well as on the functional composition of the bee communities. 3. Bumblebee densities (Bombus spp. Latreille) were more than twice as high in FB compared to control landscapes after the flowering of the beans. Non-Bombus wild bee densities, however, were not affected by FB cultivation, but were enhanced by increasing amounts of semi-natural habitats (SNH). 4. After the beans' blooming had ceased, FB landscapes had a higher proportion of wild bees collecting pollen from Fabaceae than control landscapes. The communityweighted means for bee size, measured as intertegular distance, were not affected by FB cultivation, but we found smaller species and species with shorter tongues with an increasing percentage of SNH. 5. Synthesis and applications. The cultivation of faba bean Vicia faba L . s trongly increased bumblebee densities throughout the season. This indicates that also on-field greening measures can support biodiversity. Nevertheless, since only functional groups adapted to faba bean benefit, measures to promote seminatural habitats in agricultural landscapes need to be implemented. We conclude that the combination of on- and off-field measures is essential to maintain farmland biodiversity and the Common Agricultural Policy should furthermore promote both.
Pollen analysis was employed to study the diet composition of two wild bees in a patch of temperate grassland invaded by exotic plants. Thirty pollen types from 14 families and two unidentified types were present in the seven samples analyzed. The three samples from Megachile pusilla Pérez were composed of 100% Lotus glaber and the four samples from Xylocopa ciliata Burmeister of abundant pollen (˃5%) of Lotus glaber, Galega offi cinalis, Adesmia bicolor and type Senna-Chamaecrista (all Fabaceae). The latter resource likely foraged out of the park, which could be an evidence to support its pollen preference for Fabaceae. However, a larger number of samples is necessary to identify the specialization status of X. ciliata. The preference for Lotus in this site was due to temporal specialization as M. pusilla was identified as polylectic in its origin area, and this could help to explain its eff ective naturalization in the New World and other areas of the Old World.
Interactions between flower visiting insects and nectar resp. pollen producing plants belong to the most relevant in terrestrial ecosystems. Their diversity and dominance relationship are important indicators for the stability and functionality of ecosystems and belong to the high ranking ecosystem services. Potential pollinators should be strongly concerned especially regarding anthropogenic impacts on habitats. We studied the diversity and quantities of flower visiting insects with special focus on wild bees (Apiformes) in two locations near the city of Vienna (Austria). Insect sampling occurred in May until July 2015 every two weeks parallel to the vegetation surveys incl. records of the cover of flowering plants. In each location patches of semi-natural grassland as well as flowering strips within vineyards were investigated. We found a significant correlation between the number of insects or insect taxa (especially for Hymenoptera) and the current flower cover. In some cases flowering strips in vineyards harbor higher numbers of insects and higher diversity of bee species than the semi-natural grassland due to temporarily higher values of flower cover. However, grassland patches provide a much more constant supply with nectar producing plants replacing each other in their flowering phase during the season. In contrast, flowering strips are often dominated by one or a few short-lived sown plants, which is of advantage for some oligolectic bees specialized on Brassicaceae or Fabaceae. Flowering strips within organically farmed vineyards are more similar to semi-natural grassland regarding the diversity of flower visiting insects than to conventional farmed vineyards.
Pesticide exposure is a growing global concern for pollinator conservation. While most current pesticide studies have specifically focused on the impacts of neonicotinoid insecticides toward honeybees and some native bee species, wild pollinators may be exposed to a broader range of agrochemicals. In 2016 and 2017 we collected a total of 637 wild bees and butterflies from the margins of cultivated agricultural fields situated on five Conservation Areas in mid-northern Missouri. Pollinators were composited by individual genera (90 samples) and whole tissues were then analyzed for the presence of 168 pesticides and degradation products. At least one pesticide was detected (% frequency) in the following wild bee genera: Bombus (96%), Eucera (75%), Melissodes (73%), Pnlothrix (50%), Xylocopa (50%), and Megachile ( 17%). Similarly, at least one pesticide was detected in the following lepidopteran genera: Hemaris (100%), Hylephila (75%), Danaus (60%), and Colitis (50%). Active ingredients detected in >2% of overall pollinator samples were as follows: metolachlor (24%), tebuconazole (22%), atrazine (18%), iinidadoprid desnitro (13%), bifenthrin (9%), flumetralin (9%), p, p'-DDD (6%), tebupirimfos (4%), Iludioxonil (4%), flutriafol (3%), cyproconazole (2%), and oxacliazon (2%). Concentrations of individual pesticides ranged from 2 to 174 ng/g. Results of this pilot field study indicate that wild pollinators arc exposed to and are potentially bioaccumulating a wide variety of pesticides in addition to neonicotinoids. Here, we provide evidence that wild bee and butterfly genera may face exposure to a wide range of insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides despite being collected from areas managed for conservation. Therefore, even with the presence of extensive habitat, minimal agricultural activity on Conservation Areas may expose pollinators to a range of pesticides. Published by Elsevier B.V. ; MDC; Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; USDA-NIFAUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA) [MO-HANR0007]; Multi-State Working Group W3045 [MOMSNR0002]; University of Missouri; U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceUS Fish & Wildlife Service; U.S. Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey; Wildlife Management Institute; USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology ProgramUnited States Geological Survey ; We thank the following individuals for assistance in field data collection and lab sample preparation: W. Boys, K. Kuechle, J. Murray, and J. Piercefield. Thank you to C. Sanders, M. McWayne and M. De Parsia who processed the pollinators for pesticide analysis. Special thanks to all of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Area Managers, biologists, and their staff for their willingness to support this research: B. Anderson, D. Bryant, J. Demand, B. Diekmann, C. Freeman, A. Pearson, C. Smith, and N. Walker. This work was funded through a cooperative agreement with the MDC in collaboration with L. Webb and K. Goyne. Partial support was also provided by the Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and USDA-NIFA through Hatch funding (MO-HANR0007) and Multi-State Working Group W3045 (MOMSNR0002). The Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is jointly sponsored by MDC, the University of Missouri, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and theWildlife Management Institute. Pesticide residue analysis was supported by the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee
Pollinator conservation efforts and growing interest in wild bee pollination have increased markedly in the last decade, making it increasingly important to have clear and practical estimates of the value of pollinators to agriculture. We used agricultural statistics, socio-economic producer surveys, and agronomic field research data to estimate traditional pollination value metrics and create novel approaches to the valuation of the ecosystem services provided by wild pollinators. Using two regionally important United States (USA) crops—Maine wild blueberry and Massachusetts cranberry—as models, we present the perceived values of wild bee pollinators from the perspectives of both consumers and producers. The net income attributable to wild bees was similar for wild blueberry ($613/ha) and cranberry ($689/ha). Marginal profit from incrementally adding more hives per ha was greater from stocking a third/fourth hive for cranberry ($6206/ha) than stocking a ninth/10th hive for wild blueberry ($556/ha), given the greater initial responsiveness of yield, revenue, and profit using rented honey bee hives in cranberry compared with wild blueberry. Both crops' producers were willing to annually invest only $140–188/ha in wild pollination enhancements on their farms, justifying government financial support. Consumers are willing to pay ≈6.7 times more to support wild bees than producers, which indicates a potential source for market-based subsidies for invertebrate conservation.
Pollinator conservation efforts and growing interest in wild bee pollination have increased markedly in the last decade, making it increasingly important to have clear and practical estimates of the value of pollinators to agriculture. We used agricultural statistics, socio-economic producer surveys, and agronomic field research data to estimate traditional pollination value metrics and create novel approaches to the valuation of the ecosystem services provided by wild pollinators. Using two regionally important United States (USA) crops&mdash ; Maine wild blueberry and Massachusetts cranberry&mdash ; as models, we present the perceived values of wild bee pollinators from the perspectives of both consumers and producers. The net income attributable to wild bees was similar for wild blueberry ($613/ha) and cranberry ($689/ha). Marginal profit from incrementally adding more hives per ha was greater from stocking a third/fourth hive for cranberry ($6206/ha) than stocking a ninth/10th hive for wild blueberry ($556/ha), given the greater initial responsiveness of yield, revenue, and profit using rented honey bee hives in cranberry compared with wild blueberry. Both crops&rsquo ; producers were willing to annually invest only $140&ndash ; 188/ha in wild pollination enhancements on their farms, justifying government financial support. Consumers are willing to pay &asymp ; 6.7 times more to support wild bees than producers, which indicates a potential source for market-based subsidies for invertebrate conservation.
Pollinator conservation efforts and growing interest in wild bee pollination have increased markedly in the last decade, making it increasingly important to have clear and practical estimates of the value of pollinators to agriculture. We used agricultural statistics, socio-economic producer surveys, and agronomic field research data to estimate traditional pollination value metrics and create novel approaches to the valuation of the ecosystem services provided by wild pollinators. Using two regionally important United States (USA) crops—Maine wild blueberry and Massachusetts cranberry—as models, we present the perceived values of wild bee pollinators from the perspectives of both consumers and producers. The net income attributable to wild bees was similar for wild blueberry ($613/ha) and cranberry ($689/ha). Marginal profit from incrementally adding more hives per ha was greater from stocking a third/fourth hive for cranberry ($6206/ha) than stocking a ninth/10th hive for wild blueberry ($556/ha), given the greater initial responsiveness of yield, revenue, and profit using rented honey bee hives in cranberry compared with wild blueberry. Both crops' producers were willing to annually invest only $140–188/ha in wild pollination enhancements on their farms, justifying government financial support. Consumers are willing to pay ≈6.7 times more to support wild bees than producers, which indicates a potential source for market-based subsidies for invertebrate conservation.
Background and aims – Agricultural intensification and loss of farmland heterogeneity have contributed to population declines of wild bees and other pollinators, which may have caused subsequent declines in insect-pollinated wild plants. Material and methods – Using data from 37 studies on 22 pollinator-dependent wild plant species across Europe, we investigated whether flower visitation and seed set of insect-pollinated plants decline with an increasing proportion of arable land within 1 km. Key results – Seed set increased with increasing flower visitation by bees, most of which were wild bees, but not with increasing flower visitation by other insects. Increasing proportion of arable land had a strongly variable effect on seed set and flower visitation by bees across studies. Conclusion – Factors such as landscape configuration, local habitat quality, and temporally changing resource availability (e.g. due to mass-flowering crops or honey bee hives) could have modified the effect of arable land on pollination. While our results highlight that the persistence of wild bees is crucial to maintain plant diversity, we also show that pollen limitation due to declining bee populations in homogenized agricultural landscapes is not a universal driver causing parallel losses of bees and insect-pollinated plants. ; EU FP5 QLRT-2001-01495 ; Swiss Federal Office for Science and Technology (01·0524-2) ; FORMAS ; Estonian Ministry of Education and Research IUT (IUT20-33) ; Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague 42900/1312/3166 ; MC-CIG BeeFun project: PCIG14-GA-2013-631653 ; DAFM ; IRC ; Formas (2018-01466) ; German Ministry of Research and Education (FKZ: 01LC1104A) ; NKFIH project (FK123813) ; NKFIH (KKP 133839) ; European Union in the 7th Framework Programme (grant 244090), ; MTA Bolyai Fellow ; Peer reviewed
Data are available at Dryad Digital Repository: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8psn ; Maintaining the diversity of wild bees is a priority for preserving ecosystem function and promoting stability and productivity of agroecosystems. However, wild bee communities face many threats and beekeeping could be one of them, because honey bees may have a strong potential to outcompete wild pollinators when placed at high densities. Yet, we still know little about how beekeeping intensity affects wild bee diversity and their pollinator interactions. Here, we explore how honey bee density relates to wild bee diversity and the structure of their pollination networks in 41 sites on 13 Cycladic Islands (Greece) with similar landscapes but differing in beekeeping intensity. Our large-scale study shows that increasing honey bee visitation rate had a negative effect on wild bee species richness and abundance, although the latter effect was relatively weak compared to the effect of other landscape variables. Competition for flowering resources (as indicated by a resource sharing index) increased with the abundance of honey bees, but the effect was more moderate for wild bees in family Apidae than for bees in other families, suggesting a stronger niche segregation in Apidae in response to honey bees. Honey bees also influenced the structure of wild bee pollination networks indirectly, through changes in wild bee richness. Low richness of wild bees in sites with high honey bee abundance resulted in wild bee networks with fewer links and lower linkage density. Our results warn against beekeeping intensification in these islands and similar hotspots of bee diversity, and shed light on how benefits to pollination services of introducing honey bees may be counterbalanced by detriments to wild bees and their ecosystem services. ; This research was co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund – ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program 'Education and Lifelong Learning' of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) – Research Funding Program: THALES: POL-AEGIS, Grant number MIS 376737. AL was supported by a Ramón y Cajal (RYC-2015-19034) contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Spanish State Research Agency, European Social Funds (ESF invests in your future) and the University of the Balearic Islands, and by the project CGL2017-89254-R supported by Feder funds, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the Spanish Research Agency.
