biology & habitats of native bees natural resources conservation service, 20 august 2009 robbin...

Biology & Habitats of Native BeesNatural Resources Conservation Service, 20 August 2009

Robbin Thorp, UC Davis

A “Not-A” Bee

Another “Not-A” BeeA Sphecid Wasp (“You are what you eat”)

A BeeThe European Honey Bee, Apis mellifera

Honey bee on almond

What are Bees (Apoidea)?

• Derived wasps that use pollen (not animal) protein to feed their young

• They use nectar as flight fuel• They have branched hairs, and other

adaptations for obtaining food from flowers• They provide an important ecological

service to flowering plants: Pollination• Many are pollen specialists (oligoleges)

What are Bees (Apoidea)?

• There are over 19,500 species (ca 20-30K)– More diversity than all Mammals + Birds +Reptiles +

Amphibians summed together.

• Greatest diversity is in warm dry areas not wet tropics

• About 75% are solitary• About 15% are cuckoos• About 10% are social

You Are What You EatFood gathering devices

Bee Tongues Forked (Bifid)

• Plasterer bees have bifid tongue like wasp relatives

• Adaptation for brood cell construction used to spread cellophane-like polymer lining

Bee TonguesShort Tongued Bee

• Mining bee• Short pointed glossa

Bee TonguesLong Tongued

• Orchid bee– Elongate tongue

longer than body

Pollen Transport StructuresScopa (Brush of hairs)

• Mining Bee– Most of hind leg plus

sides of thorax

• Digger Bee– Only outer hind leg

Pollen Transport StructuresPollen Moistened

• Mining bee– Scopa sparse

• Bumble bee– Corbiculum (concave

plate on hind leg)

Pollen Transport StructuresScopa: Abdominal

• Leafcutting bee– Bum-up position

Bee DiversityMining Bees

• Mining Bees– Female

– Male

– Sexual dimorphism

– Haplodiploidy

Bee DiversityMining Bees

• Mining Bee– Female

– Specialist on Sky Blue (Oligolege)

– Unnamed species

Bee DiversitySweat Bees

• Sweat Bee– Female

• Sweat Bee– Male

Bee DiversitySweat Bees

• Green Sweat Bee– Female

• Green Sweat Bee– Male

Bee DiversityLeafcutting & Mason Bees

• Leafcutting Bee– Female collecting

pollen

• Leafcutting Bee– Female cutting leaf

Bee DiversityLeafcutting & Mason Bees

• Mason Bee– Female

• Cotton Bee– Male

Bee DiversityDigger, Cuckoo, & Corbiculate Bees

• Cuckoo Bee – Female

• Cuckoo Bee– Female


• Sunflower Bee– Female (Specialist)

• Squash Bee– Female (Specialist)


• Carpenter Bee– Female

• Small Carpenter Bee– Female


• Yellow Face Bumble Bee– Queen

• Orchid Bee– Male

– with orchid pollinia


• European Honey Bee– Worker

• Stingless Bee– Worker

Habitat Requirements• In addition to food from flowers, bees need

habitats for their nests• Most are solitary soil nesters

– Sand, clay, sandstone, rock– Flat ground, birms, vertical cliffs– Many have specialized habitat requirements

• Many are tubular cavity nesters – E. g., beetle tunnels, hollow stems

• Some excavate their own burrows in wood or pith• Some social bees use large cavities

Life Cycle of Solitary Bees

• Female Mining Bee on Goldfields flower head in spring

• This bee specializes on Goldfields for pollen (Oligolecty)


• Nest entrance: – open with tumulus

(excavated soil) surrounding it.

• Nest architecture: – Vertical entry shaft

– Lateral tunnels

– Brood cells:

– 1) Completed with egg

– 2) Under construction


• Brood cell with food mass being formed

• Brood cell with food mass completed and egg laid on surface


• Cap of brood cell (inner view)

• Early larva ready to initiate feeding on pollen provisions


• Post-feeding larva (summer phase)

• Pupa (autumnal phase)


• Early spring bloom of Goldfields and Yellow Carpet at Jepson Prairie Reserve

• Female Mining bee on pollen host, Goldfields

• Synchronized annual cycles

• www.vernalpools.org/Thorp/

Other Bees Managed for Crop Pollination

Bee Nests

• Alkali Bee– Female on alfalfa

– Aggregated nest site

– Tumuli

Bee Nests

• Alkali Bee– Brood cell

– Pollen provisions with egg on top

Bee Nests

• Alkali Bee– Post feeding larvae

– Pupa

Bee Nests

• Alkali Bee– Artificial bee bed

– Road sign to protect bees from becoming road kill

Bee Nests

• Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee– Female collecting

pollen from alfalfa

– Female cutting leaf

Bee Nests

• Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee– Cavity nester

– Field domicile with bee boards

• Female into nest with leaf piece

Bee Nests

• Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee– Female in with pollen

• Female laying egg on pollen provision

Bee Nests

• Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee – Brood cells with pollen

provisions, egg, larvae

• Fully developed larvae in cocoons

Bee NestsMason Bee

• Blue Orchard Bee (BOB) female on almond flower

• Drilled hole with mud partitions, pollen, and larvae

Bee Nests

• Bumble Bee– Corbiculate Bees

– Annual societies

– Queen emerging from hibernation

• Incipient nest– Honey pot

– Initial brood

– Incubated by queen

Bee Nests

• Bumble Bees– Nest with eggs, pupa,

cocoons

• Nest overview– Egg cups, cocoons

– Eggs, larvae, pupae

– Nectar storage in old cocoons

Bee Nests

• Bumble Bees– Mating male/queen

• Queens entering into hibernation

Conclusions

• Other bees may be suited for management

• Unmanaged populations provide valuable services for crop and wildland plants.

• Knowledge about biology and habitat needs of native bees provides keys to managing them and their habitats.

biology & habitats of native bees natural resources conservation service, 20 august 2009 robbin...

Documents