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Row crop fields provide mid-summer forage for honey bees
Mary R Silliman1, Roger Schürch1, Sean Malone2
1Department of Entomology (MC0319) Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia USA.
Ecology and Evolution
|July 5, 2022
Summary
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) forage locally, with row crops providing significant mid-summer food resources. This suggests agricultural landscapes can support bee nutrition during critical periods.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Agricultural Science
Background:
- Honey bees are vital pollinators facing health challenges from environmental stressors.
- Agricultural landscapes, like row crop systems, are crucial for food but can limit bee nutrition due to scarce nectar and pollen.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate honey bee foraging dynamics within a row crop agricultural environment.
- To determine the extent to which honey bees utilize row crops for foraging.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 3459 honey bee waggle dances over two foraging seasons (2018-2019).
- Mapping and decoding waggle dances to identify communicated food source locations and distances.
- Quantifying the proportion of recruitment dances directed towards row crop fields.
Main Results:
- Honey bees predominantly recruited nestmates to local food sources (<2 km).
- Peak foraging distances were shortest in July (<0.5 km) when row crops were in bloom.
- Nearly half of mid-summer recruitment dances (37-50%) indicated row crop fields, with peanut, corn, and cotton being most attractive.
Conclusions:
- Row crop fields represent a substantial and often overlooked mid-summer food resource for honey bees.
- Agricultural landscapes can potentially support honey bee populations by providing essential nutrition during peak bloom periods.
