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Updated: Jun 17, 2026
07:19
A 3D Printed Pollen Trap for Bumble Bee (Bombus) Hive Entrances
Published on: July 9, 2020
Surplus nectar available for subalpine bumble bee colony growth.
1Pinyon Publishing, Montrose, CO 81403, USA. susanelliott@pinyon-publishing.com
Environmental Entomology
|December 22, 2009
Summary
Bumble bee colony reproduction, specifically gyne production, increased with supplemental feeding, not flower density. This suggests resource availability at the nest, not foraging, limits bumble bee populations.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Animal Behavior
- Pollination Biology
Background:
- Mutualisms can lead to coupled population dynamics.
- Animal mutualist effects on plant reproduction are well-studied.
- Plant mutualist effects on animal reproduction are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how flower density affects bumble bee (Bombus appositus) reproduction.
- To determine if supplemental feeding impacts bumble bee colony reproduction.
Main Methods:
- Compared bumble bee reproduction across meadows with varying flower densities over two years.
- Compared reproduction of fed and unfed bumble bee colonies.
Main Results:
- Bumble bee colony reproduction was not affected by natural variation in flower density.
- Supplemental feeding of nectar and pollen doubled gyne production in bumble bee colonies.
- Feeding did not significantly alter worker or male production.
Conclusions:
- Bumble bee reproduction is limited by resources at the nest, not foraging opportunities.
- Supplemental feeding enhances gyne production, crucial for colony survival and reproduction.
- Worker limitations may prevent bees from exploiting abundant floral resources.
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