EPP 472
Know Your Native Bees
Find PDFs of presentations and links to new publications att th the he Soil Plant and Pest Center web site underr publications and presentations
Frank A. Hale,, Ph.D D. Professor Entomology and d Plant nt Pathology
This presentation based on:
Bee Basics, An Introduction ction to Our O Native Bees
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO CUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf
USDA A Forest Service and d Pollinator Pollin Partnership Publication By Beatriz z Miosset et, Ph.D. and n Buchmann n, Ph.D. Stephen
Native bees 4,000 native bee species in the U.S.
Native bees Pollinate P 80% of the 250,000 250,00 flowering plant species in the world
Most M of the pollination of native plants is done by native bees Honey H bees are not native since they were brought here by European settlers
B pollinate approximately p pp y 75% of the Bees fruits, nuts nut and vegetables grown in this country
Southeastern Blueberry Bee
ab opoda a laboriosa abo osa Habropoda
Southeastern eastern nB Blueberry lueberr Bee Family y Apidae
Can C visit as many as 50,000 blueberry flowers and pollinated enough to produce p more than 6,000 ripe blueberries 6,000 blueberries are worth $20 or more
Image courtesy of Hannah Burrack, NCSU
Bees and Wasps
Paper Wasp Chewing Caterpillar into a Ball to Feed to Larvae in Nest
Bees B evolved from p predaceous wasps p starting starti some s 125 million years ag ago when the first flowering plants evolved Wasps W are carnivores, predators or parasitoids of other insects and spiders Some S wasps switched tto utilizing nectar for energy e and the pollen for protein and over time, adaptations enabled them to better utilize this resource and evolve into bees
Social and Solitary Bees Solitary S bees live alone as a adults and raise their brood alone Social S bees (honey bees, yellow jacket wasps, hornets) have ha annual colonies of many individuals
Paper wasp image courtesy of Terrence Godfrey, photojournalist
Yellowjackets
Social Bees An A ove over er-wintering er -w wintering queen emerges in the spring, builds a nest, lays eggs egg and collects food for the resulting larvae The T female worker adults emerge to work together to feed and care for the colony until unt fall when new queens emerge, mate and hibernate hiberna until spring when the cycle begins anew
Image courtesy of Alan Windham
Pollen n Transpor Transport porrt Struc Structures, Called d Scopae
Long g- o g-tongued ongued Bees vs Short rttongued Bees Ecologically, E bees can be separated into two groups based on the relative length of mouthparts
Made M of stiff hairs loc located on the hind legs or under the abdomen Bees B frequently brush themselves, gathering pollen grains from their body body’s s feathery, bran branched ran nched hairs and transfer the pollen grains to theirr scopae Bees B have br branched hairs that distinguish bees from wasps
L Long Long g-tongued -to ongued bees like o eA Apidae pidae e and a d Megachilida Megachilidae M ae, favor deep flowers with a longer throat, thro although they can feed on open flat flowers S Shorrt-tonged Short t-to onged bees are more limited in their floral o choices (shallow flowers, such as those of the daisy or aster family and those of the carrot family
Osmia a cornif cornifrons c niffrons
Hornfaced d Bee B Note e lo long ong tongue Family y Megachilidae
http://ww w.fs.usda. gov/Intern et/FSE_D OCUME NTS/stelp rdb53064 68.pdf
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
http://ww w.fs.usda .gov/Inte rnet/FSE _DOCU MENTS/ stelprdb5 306468.p df
Nesting All A bee families have species that ccare for their young by building nests and provisioning the nests with pollen, nectar, and saliva before laying their eggs, and sealing them to protect the larvae They T generally mix dry pollen with some som nectar and knead it into a pollen loaf Their T saliva provides protection against some bacterial and fungal infections
Nomada a sp. s Cuckoo uckoo Bee e female femal Family y Apidae
Cuckoo Bees Cuckoo C bees are species from three bee families that lay their the eggs in the nests of other bee species Some S cuckoo bee species kill the t host’s larvae before laying their egg The T majority of cuckoo bee larvae feed fee on the stored food and the host larvae
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Cuckoo bees are often mistaken for wasps
Types of nests
S Some n native bees build underground nests O Others use hollow stems or holes in trees usuallyy left byy beetles beetle or some chew holes in the wood
Solitary Bees, Honey Bees and Bumble e Bees Provide Mass Provisioning
E Each cell is provisioned with all the food requ required by the larva to become an adult
Underground nderground Nest Provisioned Wi With Bright Orange Pollen Masses
Miners or Digger Bees Dig their Nests in the Ground Bare, B sunny spots with little cchance of flooding are usually chosen Long L tunnels are excavated (can be a foot deep or more) A chamber wider that the tunnel (brood cell) is constructed at the end of the tunnel and often ot other branches with brood cells are made
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf
Miners or Digger Bees Dig their Nests in the Ground The T brood cell is provisioned with jus one enough pollen and nectar for just bee to grown from egg to adult The T egg is laid and the chamber is sealed
Hole Nesters: Mason and Leafcutter Bees Mason M bees use mud to construct partition walls between adjacent cells and a th thicker plug to seal the t nest entrance from parasitoids Leafcutter L bees cut rounded leaf piec pieces to line the inner walls of nest burrows
Hole ee-Nesters: Mason and Leafcutter Bees
Make M nest nests estts s in hollow stems or holes made by woo wood odod o d-bo boring b ori beetles or other insects in dead wood Others O use rrock crevices or surfaces to form their nests Brood B cells, usually lined up end end d-to -to too-end end in a en row, which each serve as nurseries and growth chambers chamber for larvae, pupae and young adults
Bee e Houses/Walls Paper P drinking straws can be tied together or hollow twigs g such as elderberryy can be packed horizontally into a container such as a small milk carton facing south or southeast Close C the opposite end of the straws by gluing the back ends into your carton A block of wood (scrap crap p lumber) can also have holes les s drilled drillled in n it while instructions are available e on onn-line
Bee Walls
Carpenter Bees Chew C holes in wood with powerful mandibles They T create “particle particle board” boar spiral partitions between cells
http://pithandvigor.com/daily-garden/shop-for-garden-products/shed-other-garden-buildings/encouraging-native-bees-with-insect-walls/
Eastern Carpenter Bee Excavated Nest in Wood
Generalists vs Specialists
Bumble B bees are generalists that depend on a succession of plants p flowering g from om me early arlyy spring when the queen em emerges to o to o early fall when the colony dies Other O bees specialize in foraging, they resort to using pollen from only one or two families of flowering plants
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf
Specialists S may collect nectar from a wider range of blossoms than they visit for pollen
Squash Bees Specialist Bees Squash S bees are efficient pollinators of cucurbit plants Blueberry bees Macropis M ss spp. Collect lectt oil and pollen pol ollle le en n on loosestrife flowers (Ly Lysimachia ysimachiia) ia) – they must visit other plants for nectar
About A the same size and b brownish coloration as honey bees They T p pollinate flowers faster than honey bees They T begin working the cucurbit flowers at or before dawn when the flowers are opening w while honey bees arrive later in the day
Peponapsis Peponap ap psis s pruinosa p
Pruinose eS Squash Bee or Common ommon Squash Squash Be Bee Family y Apidae
Apidae (honey honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, squash bees, southeastern blueberry bees, and cuckoo bees) Bumble beess --- 50 species in North America Large, L furry and mostly black with yellow, white or bright orange stripes More M social that most other native bees although their colonies co are not as big or long lived as honey bees
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Bumble Bee
Pyrobombus s impatiens i
Common Eastern Bumble Bu umble Bee B female Family y Apidae
Image courtesy of Alan Windham, UT Extension Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Apidae (honey honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, squash bees, southeastern blueberry bees, and cuckoo bees)
Bombus B Bo s bimaculatu bimaculatus b us,
Two o-spotted potted Bum Bumble mble Be Bee male Family y Apidae
Bumble B bees and honey bees have specialized pollen baskets, called corbiculae, on their hind legs T The e tib tibial bia al s segment of the hind leg is flattened with rows of long strong setae (hairs) along the edges The T basket can be packed with pollen, mixed with nectar and nd saliva, saliva into a tight mass called a corbitularr pellet
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisette
Bumble Bees
The T impatient bumble bee is used as a pollinator of greenhouse tomatoes All A that is needed is a queen, a box for a nest, and a supply of sugar water because tomatoes don’t produce nectar Bumble B b bees are important pollinators of some clovers
Xylocopa a virginica v
Eastern stern Carpenter Carp arp rp penter Bee B Family y Apidae
Carpenter Bees Unlike U bumble bees that are fuzzy all over, carpenter c p bees are p practicallyy hairle hairless on the upper abdomen, appearing glossy In In early spring, males competing for females chase away other males or m c might even buzz humans but they can’t sting Carpenter C bees often cut a slit at the base of tthe flower to get at the nectar without comin coming near the pollen dispen dispensing anthers or the stigma of the flower
Carpenterr Bee e Damage
Image courtesy of Wikapedia
Small Carpenter Bees
Ceratina a calcarat c
a Small Carpenter Bee
Much M smaller than carpenter bees, they nest in pithy stems, such as blackberry or roses
Image courtesy of The Packer Lab - Bee Tribes of the World
Southeastern Blueberry Bees (SEBB) Forages F primarily on blueberries and a are only active for a few weeks each year
Southeastern Blueberry Bees http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf
Faster F and more efficient e pollinators of blueberries than honey bees The T SEBB vibrates her flight muscles very rapidly causing the whole flower to vibrate This T buzz pollination (sonication) causes pollen to shake out of the anthers onto her body and it also causes p pollen clinging to her body to attach to the stigma
Tribe T ribe eE Eucerini ucerini Long g-h horned orned d Bee B Female Fem Family y Apidae
Megachilid d Bees This T family contains co mason bees and leaf afcutter bees They T carry pollen on the underside of their thei abdomens instea instead of carrying pollen on their back legs The blue orchard bee pollinates fruit trees
Image courtsy of Beatriz Moisset
Blue Orchard Bee
Megachile e Subge Subgenus S bge enus Xanthosarus Xantho ntho osarus s sp. s Family y Megachilidae
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf
Megachile e sp. s
Big head headed aded Bee male Family y Megachilidae
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Halictidae Sweat Bees Some S of the mo most ost beautiful bees with their shiny metallic metalliiic icc-co colored c olored bodies (green, blue to copper or gold, and sometimes even black)
Coelioxys Coe e oxy elioxy ys y s sp. s
Cuckoo o-L Leaf ea afaf a f-C Cutter Bees Family y Megachilidae
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Metallic Green n Bee B Agapostemon n sp. s Family Halictidae
Augochlora A a pura p a (n (name name means pure magnificent green bee) b builds its nest under the bark of a rotting log Agapostemon A apos Agapos poss stemon n species s – green, yellow and black ckck k-striped
Lasioglossum m sp. s
Sweat Bee Female Family Halictidae
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Augochlora Augochlor hlorra a pura p
Pure Green n Aug Augochlora A ug go ochlora Family Halictidae e - Sweat Bees
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Pure Green n Augochlora Female F builds nest under bark of rotten logs, adds dds d ds her saliva and secretions to loose, ha half rotted ot wood to build an en envelope for her eggs and accumulated pollen
Halictus s rubicundus r Sweat Bee Female Family Halictidae
Sh She kneads the pollen into a number of tiny She loaves a shaped like tiles which are plastered on the e wall of the broad chamber and then lays an egg eg gg and seals the cell com completely to keep out ants and other predators http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf
Bee Nests Aggre Aggregation gre regation of Lasioglossum asioglossum sum m zephyru zephyrum z yru um (Zephyrr Diallictu Diallictus D s) s) Family Halictidae
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Andrenidae e - Miner Bees
All A ground nesters and mostly dark, black or reddish, but can be metallic blue, yellow, or red and yellow Velvety V patches (foveae) on their faces between th the eyes and the base of the antennae
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Andrena ena a Subgenus S nus s Gonand Gonandrena G
D Dogwood d And Andrena A nd drrena Family y Andrenidae e - Mining Bees
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Most M are active only in the early spring where they visit willows, maples, maple apples, violets and other wildflowers
Andrena aS Subgenus sS Simandrea Simandre a nasonii Nason’s Nason N s And Andrena A nd d ena dre Family y Andrenidae e – Mining Bees
Image courtesy of Beatriz Mosset
Andrena Andren dren na a sp sp.. fe s emale malle l on azalea
family y Andrenidae e – Mining Bees
Collectidae ((Cellophane p Bees)) Some S such as the yellow w-masked -m masked bees bees, s, Hylaeus Hylaeu us, do not have po p pollen baskets since they carry pollen in their crops They T are not as hairy as other bees and can be mistaken for wasps They all nest in pithy stems
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Colletes olletes s americanu americanus a species group
Cellophane phane Bees, Family F Colletidae
Sometimes S they form m la large arge aggregations of nests and use a cellophane e-lilike ikke material mate exuded from glands to line the brood cells
Honey y bees are not native Honey H bees be do not ot pollinate e tomato or eggplant flowers H Honey bees do very poorly compared to native bees be b ees when pollinating many native plants, such ass pumpkins, cherries, blueberries, and cranberries
Image courtesy of Beatriz Moisset
Honey Bee e Swarm Family y Apidae
H Honey bees are valuable because they can be ttransported a to fields where needed, they can pollinate po ollinate as long as the weather permits, and huge numbers can be brought in for pollination
Questions?