christelle guédot department of entomology the blue orchard bee: a native managed pollinator
TRANSCRIPT
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Christelle GuédotDepartment of Entomology
The blue orchard bee:
A native managed pollinator
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Most important insect pollinators: Bees
1. Feed on nectar and pollen2. Pollen collecting structures (scopa, corbicula)3. Display floral constancy (strong tendency to visit flowers of the
same type on a single foraging trip): important for pollination because minimizes pollen wastage and stigma clogging with pollen from other species
Wikimedia Commons
Andrena
http://www.natures-desktop.com/images/wallpapers/1600x1200/insects/bee-collecting-pollen.jpg
Osmia bicornis
Jeremy Early
pollinator.info
John B. Pascarella, Sam Houston State University
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Why are bees important?
Whole foods and Xerces Society "Share the Buzz" campaign (2013)
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• At least 25,000 known species of bees
• Social vs. solitary, 90% being solitary
• ~4,500 of solitary spp. in North America
• Wisconsin: ~390 spp. (Wolf and Ascher, 2008)
Bees
NativeExotic
T'ai Roulston, University of Virginia
Stephen Buchmann
Smallest North American bee (Perdita minima) on largest female carpenter bee
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Bees: distinguishing characteristics
Bees vs. WaspsRobust SlenderHairy SmoothFlat rear legs Slender legsFeed on nectar and pollen Predators
James Canemommammia Flickr
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Photos: Dennis Briggs
Mining bee (Andrena sp.): a year in its underground nest as egg, larva, and pupa before emerging to spend a few weeks as an adult.
Life cycle of a solitary bee
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~70% of native bee species nest underground
• Resemble ant-nests from above ground
• Nests may be as deep as 3’
Ground-nesting solitary bees
Photos: Eric Mader, Matthew Shepherd, Dennis Briggs
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Photos: Edward Ross, Darrin O’Brien, Matthew Shepherd
~30% of native species nest in cavities• Nest in hollow plant stems, old beetle borer holes,
man-made cavities • Nest have tunnel partitions constructed of mud, leaf pieces, or sawdust• Artificially managed for some crops
Cavity-nesting solitary bees
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Impediments to bee pollination on fruit trees
- Early season; bad weather
- Short flowering period: 2-3 weeks
- Flowers receptive only few days
- Cool temperatures slow pollen germination
ovules might degenerate before fertilized
- Incompatibility: bees must move between inter-compatible
cultivars in different rows
Bees for fruit tree pollination
Christelle Guédot, UW-Madison
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Flower morphology
♀ organ♂ organ
≡ Pistil
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http://appleharvester.blogspot.com/2011/05/king-blossom.html
Apple pollination
• Pollinate king blossoms (first to open, produces larger fruit)
• Pollinate blossoms with large amount of compatible pollen for
high number of seeds, which relates to fruit size and shape
• Size of fruit affected by number fruit produced; thinning might
be required
Christelle Guédot, UW-Madison
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• Osmia lignaria, a native• Solitary but gregarious• Nest in pre-existing cavities• Only females provision nest• Collect nectar and pollen for provision • Collect mud for nesting material
Back Front
Provision
EggCell1
Mud partitions
The blue orchard bee
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The blue orchard bee
Females
Male Female0.4 - 0.6” long
Prepupa5th instar larva inside coccon
White pupa Black pupa Adult
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April - MayLate March
Sept - MarchJuly - Aug
June
Life cycle of blue orchard bee
Eggs hatch, larvae grow into pupae
Dormant adults
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Males smaller than more robust females
Males do not have scopa, females do
Males have longer, more slender antennae
Males have more facial hair
http://seabrookeleckie.com/
Identifying females vs. males
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• Fecundity: 10 - 20 eggs / nesting female (2.5 - 6 ♀ eggs)
• Longevity adult females: ~20 days
• Females build ~ 2-4 nests in lifetime
• Emergence: - males emerge 24-48 hrs after warming
- females emerge 1-3 days later
Life history
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• Native
• Commercial use in 1970’s
• Forages in cool weather > 54°F
• Visits many tree species:
almonds, apple, pear, cherry, apricot,…
Why the blue orchard bee?
discoverlife.org: Osmia lignaria distribution
Designed by The Polistes Corporation
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Foraging behavior and pollination effectiveness
Almond Apple Pear
Osmia 98.7 97.7 98.7
Apis (P) 67.3 - 51.8
Apis (N) 39.5 32.7 19.0
% Stigma contact
Why the blue orchard bee?
Christelle Guédot, UW-Madison
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=18333
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• Blue orchard bees readily move from tree to tree and row to row
• Facilitate cross-pollination, rather than pollination within a tree or within a cultivar
• Preference for fruit tree pollen: 85-100%
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com
Golden currant
Dandelion
Why the blue orchard bee?
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Why the blue orchard bee?
Active at low light levels and low temperatures
• 33+ hours foraging in 5 days
• 15+ hours by honey bees
Usual foraging range: 300-600 ft
Max. foraging range: 1,300 ft
Homing ability: 4,000 ft
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Apple yield (bushel)
Apple Variety1977 + 1978Honey Bee
1979 + 1980Blue orchard bee
McIntosh 4380 5186Red Delicious 986 3248Golden Delicious 204 288Jonathan 430 417
Rome 184 307Total 6184 9446
Commercial Apple Orchard, Utah
53% increase
Apple yield with blue orchard bee
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Year Pollinator Cherry yield (Kg) ♀ BOB increase
1992 Honeybee - -
1993 Honeybee 3,040 -
1994 Honeybee 5,545 -
1995 Honeybee 4,820 -
1996 Honeybee 3,695 -
1997 Honeybee - -
1998 Blue orchard bee 14,875 5.44
1999 Blue orchard bee 4,150* 2.17
2000 Blue orchard bee 16,935 4.21
2001 Blue orchard bee 4,415** 1.03
2002 Blue orchard bee -* 2.45
2003 Blue orchard bee 6,680*** 0.62
* Freezing event; ** missed timing on BOB release; ***high bee predation by birds
Why the blue orchard bee?
Commercial cherry orchard, Utah
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Number of females
In comparison, need 1 - 2.5 honeybee hives / acre (typically 30,000 - 50,000 workers / hive)
Blue orchard bee Almond Apple
# nesting females/acre
300 250
# females/tree 3 2.5
Optimal number of nesting females for adequate pollination
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Flower efficiency and fidelity
• 75 flowers per “load” of pollen and nectar
• 15-35 loads per provision
• 75 X 25 (avg.) = 1,875 flower visits per provision
• Female provisions 7 – 12 cells in her life
• A single female visits 10,000-20,000 flowers in her lifetime!
• Remember: 85-100% orchard flower pollen
Pollination efficiency
Christelle Guédot, UW-Madison
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What do you need to haveblue orchard bees in your orchard?
• Care, attention, enthusiasm• Bee stock• Nesting equipment• Appropriate storage facility• Proper handling
http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/How-to-Manage-the-Blue-Orchard-Bee
How to manage the blue orchard bee
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Where to obtain bees and materials
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Nesting shelters
• Attach shelter on tree or fence post
• Orient SE for longer foraging
activity (and more attractive to
nesting females)
Shelter with wooden blocks and chicken wire
James Cane, USDA ARS
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Nesting blocks
Prefer wood blocksPaper straws in cavities help for handling and storage
Reeds
Wafer boards
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- 19/64” (7.5 mm) hole diameter
- 6” (15 cm) long
- Plan on 3-5 nesting cavities per female released
Nesting cavities
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• Mud is a vital nesting material• Clayey mud, not sand or loam• Need safe place for gathering mud, within 20-50ft. of nest
Nesting material
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Example for Northern Utah
1) March/April About two weeks prior to expected bloom:• Check flower development • Check weather forecast
A typical BOB season
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2) March/April • Set up nesting materials and mud sources• Incubate bees at 72-76°F (22-25°C)• Emerged bees can be held at 37-41ºF for ~a week
A typical BOB season
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3) March/April Release BOB population (200-300 females + 400-600 males per acre for full pollination in almonds, cherries, apples, and pears)
A typical BOB season
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4) May/June Retrieve nesting materials• Move nests to summer storage (avoid excessive heat, direct sun)• Take measures to avoid parasitism
A typical BOB season
Blue orchard bee nests by black light trap Note large numbers of drowned Monodontomerus in tray Adult female chalcid wasp,
Melittobia chalybii
Adult female chalcid wasp, Monodontomerus
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5) June through August
Monitor development with monthly development checks• Select 10 male cocoons from different nests
A typical BOB season
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6) Mid/late September Move nests to winter storage (refrigerator)• Check small sample of females from different nests to be sure
that all adults • Best if population held for 1 week at 55°F before being placed
in artificial wintering at 39°F• Require minimum of 3 months wintering: adults go dormant
(diapause)
A typical BOB season
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7) November/December • Quantify population• Remove parasites and diseased bees (now dead)• Prepare nesting materials for the following season
A typical BOB season
Recently emerged male covered with migratory nymphs of hairy-fingered miteChalkbrood fungus
Hairy-fingered pollen mite, Chaetodactylus krombeini
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• Blue orchard beesare superb orchard pollinators
• BOBs can be usedalone or along withhoney bees
• Easy management• Bees are safe
Summary
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Spray guide
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• Jordi Bosch
• Theresa Pitts-Singer
• William P. Kemp
• USDA-ARS Beelab
Acknowledgements