Download or read book The Impact of the European Honey Bee Apis Mellifera on Australian Native Bees written by Dean Paini and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) has been present in Australia for approximately 150 years. For the majority of that time it was assumed this species could only be of benefit to Australia‘s natural ecosystems. More recently however, researchers and conservationists have questioned this assumption. Honey bees are an introduced species and may be affecting native fauna and flora. In particular, native bees have been highlighted as an animal that may be experiencing competition from honey bees as they are of similar sizes and both species require nectar and pollen for their progeny. Most research to date has focused on indirect measures of competition between honey bees and native bees (resource overlap, visitation rates and resource harvesting). The first chapter of this thesis reviews previous research explaining that many experiments lack significant replication and indirect measures of competition cannot evaluate the impact of honey bees on native bee fecundity or survival. Chapters two and four present descriptions of nesting biology of the two native bee species studied (Hylaeus alcyoneus and an undescribed Megachile sp.). Data collected focused on native bee fecundity and included nesting season, progeny mass, number of progeny per nest, sex ratio and parasitoids. This information provided a picture of the nesting biology of these two species and assisted in determining the design of an appropriate experiment. Chapters three and five present the results of two experiments investigating the impact of honey bees on these two species of native bees in the Northern Beekeepers Nature Reserve in Western Australia. Both experiments focused on the fecundity of these native bee species in response to honey bees and also had more replication than any other previous experiment in Australia of similar design. The first experiment (Chapter three), over two seasons, investigated the impact of commercial honey bees on Hylaeus alcyoneus, a native solitary bee. The experiment was monitored every 3-4 weeks (measurement interval). However, beekeepers did not agist hives on sites simultaneously so measurement intervals were initially treated separately using ANOVA. Results showed no impact of honey bees at any measurement interval and in some cases, poor power. Data from both seasons was combined in a Wilcoxon‘s sign test and showed that honey bees had a negative impact on the number of nests completed by H. alcyoneus. The second experiment (Chapter 5) investigated the impact of feral honey bees on an undescribed Megachile species. Hive honey bees were used to simulate feral levels of honey bees in a BACI (Before/After, Control/Impact) design experiment. There was no impact detected on any fecundity variables. The sensitivity of the experiment was calculated and in three fecundity variables (male and female progeny mass and the number of progeny per nest) the experiment was sensitive enough to detect 15-30% difference between control and impact sites. The final chapter (Chapter six) makes a number of research and management recommendations in light of the research findings.
Download or read book The Impact of the European Honey Bee Apis Mellifera on Australian Native written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Effects of the Introduced Honeybee Apis Mellifera on Australian Native Bees written by Graham H. Pyke and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Competitive Interactions Between the Invasive European Honey Bee and Native Bumble Bees written by Diane M. Thomson and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Impact of Introduced Honey Bees on Native Solitary Bees written by Karen Goodell and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Community Effects of Introduced Honeybees apis Mellifera on Native Bee Fauna and Plant Pollination Australia written by Guinnevere Ellen Roberts and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Australian Native Bees written by and published by NSW Agriculture. This book was released on 2022-11-18 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combining the expertise of many of Australia’s leading native bee researchers, this book is a guide to observing and keeping Australia’s broad range of native bee species. Australian Native Bees, now in a slightly updated new edition, provides a wealth of advice on how you can support and enjoy our native bees, whether you grow broad-acre crops or have an urban backyard. You can learn about: • how bees build nests, forage and provide crucial pollination services • how you can examine and recognise our solitary and semi-social bees: blue banded bees, teddy bear bees, carpenter bees, leafcutters, resin bees, cuckoo bees and more • urban bee ecology • how to build a bee hotel • how to keep the popular stingless bees in specialised hives • the importance of native bees and other crop pollinators, and how managed native bees can be used to pollinate crops • bee biosecurity.
Download or read book Pollination using honey bees written by Doug Somerville and published by NSW Agriculture. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beekeepers and growers of horticultural crops, broadacre crops and pastures all benefit from bees visiting flowers. this book informs the beekeeper about preparing and maintaining bees so that they are fit for the pollination task and informs the grower about creating an environment for best results. It describes the specific bee stocking rate required for more than sixty plant species and includes a section on making a business agreement between grower and beekeeper. Table of contents: · Safety for personnel · Floral structure · Agents of pollination · Honey bee colonies · Size of the operation · Nutrition for bees · Health problems · Pesticides · Stock selection · Hive strength · Pollination standards · Orchard design and management · Managing hives on the crop · Netting and glass houses · Post-pollination hive management · Contracts and agreements · The bee broker · Appendix 1: Sample pollination agreement · Appendix 2: Individual crops · Appendix 3: Standard operation procedure (SOP)
Download or read book Status of Pollinators in North America written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-05-13 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pollinators-insects, birds, bats, and other animals that carry pollen from the male to the female parts of flowers for plant reproduction-are an essential part of natural and agricultural ecosystems throughout North America. For example, most fruit, vegetable, and seed crops and some crops that provide fiber, drugs, and fuel depend on animals for pollination. This report provides evidence for the decline of some pollinator species in North America, including America's most important managed pollinator, the honey bee, as well as some butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds. For most managed and wild pollinator species, however, population trends have not been assessed because populations have not been monitored over time. In addition, for wild species with demonstrated declines, it is often difficult to determine the causes or consequences of their decline. This report outlines priorities for research and monitoring that are needed to improve information on the status of pollinators and establishes a framework for conservation and restoration of pollinator species and communities.
Download or read book Assessing the Impact of Super Abundant Non native Honey Bees Apis Mellifera on Native Plants and Pollinators written by Dillon Joseph Travis and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nestled in the California Floristic Provence, a biodiversity hotspot, San Diego County is home well over 2,500 species of plants and at least 650 bee species, many of which are endemic to the region. Despite the great diversity of pollinators like bees, non-native honey bees (Apis mellifera) make up greater than 70% of all visits to native plants in habitat. Lacking a baseline of pollinators populations and plant reproduction before the arrival of honey bees in the 1800s, the impact of this super abundant non-native species is not well known. In this dissertation, I take an applied and exploratory perspective to study and better understand the effects of honey bees on native plants and pollinators. In the first chapter, I demonstrate that honey bee pollination of native plants leads to decreased fitness of both the parent and progeny generations of three common native plants. In the second chapter, I determine if geitonogamous visitation by honey bees is a conserved behavior throughout its global range by reviewing peer reviewed manuscripts containing relevant information. In the third chapter I quantified the mass of pollen removed by honey bees daily from multiple study sites and estimated the number of native bees of average size that could have been produced with this pollen, and the mass of native bees that could be produced by directly converting observed honey bee biomass into native bees. Finally, in the fourth chapter I set out to determine if honey bees negatively impact native pollinator populations by comparing native pollinator diversity and abundance both in the presence and absence of honey bees using Santa Cruz Island where honey bees have been eradicated, and the Santa Monica Mountains where honey bees persist. Altogether, this work reveals the stunning impact honey bees have on both native plants and pollinators in San Diego County and Southern California. I hope that this dissertation can be used to inform conservationists and policy makers about the impacts of honey bees on our native plants and pollinators so that they may be preserved for generations to come.
Download or read book Investigating the Potential Negative Impacts of Managed Honey Bees Apis Mellifera on Native New Zealand Plant pollinator Communities written by Freya Jackson and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The interactions formed between plants and their animal pollinators play a valuable role in maintaining ecological integrity and sustaining ecosystem function. The introduction of an exotic pollinator may disrupt native plant-pollinator. Worldwide, there is contradictory evidence as to whether honey bees cause changes to the diversity and abundance to new pollinator communities, changes to native pollinator foraging behaviour, and/or consequences to plant reproductive success. The relative impact of honey bees is likely to depend on the behavior and guilds of native bees, changes in habitat availability and seasons. The impact of introduced honey bees is likely to be greater on small and remote oceanic islands with high levels of endemism, such as Aotearoa New Zealand. Given the widespread occurrence of honey bees in New Zealand, and recent increases in bee keeping, the impacts on native plants and pollinators need to be addressed. The objective of my study was to explore the potential negative impacts of honey bees on native New Zealand plant-pollinator communities. Using a comparative observational approach as well as some field manipulations and molecular analyses, I surveyed pollinator behavior, pollination processes, and plant fitness for two widespread and taonga plants, pōhutukawa and kānuka at three different sites across New Zealand, two with honey bees (Thames and Waiheke Island), and one without honey bees (Great Mercury Island). The widespread distribution of honey bees in New Zealand makes finding study sites without bees but with comparable plants very difficult. First, I examine interspecific (between pollinator species) and intraspecific (between individuals of one pollinator species) differences in foraging behaviour, and floral resource preferences between introduced honey bees and native solitary bees to gauge the potential for competition. Negative impacts on native pollinators was also assessed by measuring the body size of native bees across the three different study sites. Second, I compared the quality and quantity of pollen on the stigmatic surface, number of pollen tubes in the style, and number of seeds within a capsule to explore questions relating to plant reproductive success in the presence of honey bees. DNA metabarcoding techniques were used to assess pollen loads carried by both honey bees and native pollinator species. Overall pollinator body size, diversity and abundance was significantly lower in sites where honey bees are present. Specifically, the diversity of pollinators visiting pōhutukawa was significantly lower at Waiheke Island than Great Mercury Island. Honey bees are poor pollinators of pōhutukawa and their dominance at Waiheke also resulted in lower conspecific pollen deposition on stigmas, lower numbers of pollen tube in the style, which correlated with reduced pōhutukawa seed set. Kānuka was pollinated almost exclusively by native bees, and there was higher pollination rates on Waiheke. This is likely due to increased intraspecific competition between Leioproctus imitatus on Waiheke Island, resulting in higher delivery of conspecific pollen to the stigmas, increased number of pollen tubes in the style, and higher reproductive success. Results from pollen DNA analyses also demonstrate honey bees’ preference for pōhutukawa, but also exotic plants in the families Apiaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae. There was a significant difference in the quality and quantity of pollen carried by different pollinators. Pollen loads carried by honey bees reflected their preferences for exotic plants. Out of all the native insects, native Leioproctus carried larger pollen loads consisting of higher proportion of conspecific pollen relative to the plants that they were observed visiting. The species richness of the pollen carried by Leioproctus were significantly lower in sites where honey bees are present, especially for exotic pollen from Asteraceae. This suggests there is competition between Leioproctus and honey bees for highly rewarding exotic plant species, which may explain the observed reduced native bee body size where honey bees are present. In order to limit the potential impact of honey bees on native plant-pollinator, I urge land managers to consider site specific attributes such as conservation status of resident plant and pollinator community and flowering peak period when making decisions regarding bee hive placement. The introduction of honey bees to small offshore islands that offer refugia to from mainland threats (such as Great Mercury Island) should be discouraged.
Download or read book The Australian Native Bee Book written by Tim Heard and published by . This book was released on 2015-09-30 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes native bees generally and provides a complete guide to keeping Australian native stingless bees. It is richly illustrated with over 500 photos, drawings and charts to increase accessibility and aid learning. It is written by an expert who has spent his lifetime intimately engaged with these unique creatures. Keeping native stingless bees is a hot topic in Australia for commercial, environmental and recreational reasons. You can do something about the decline of pollinators by conserving native bees. Whether you keep a hive or two in your suburban garden, or want to use multiple hives on a commercial farm, this friendly guide has you covered. Bee biology, behaviour, nesting, social life and foraging; How to build your own native bee hive; How to transfer a bee colony to a hive box and propagate hives; All about sugarbag honey, including how to extract it from hives; Managing your hive; Identifying and dealing with pests; Using stingless bees for pollination - from small gardens to commercial crops; A complete list of Australia's stingless bee species, how to identify them, their characteristics, where they occur, and recommended hives; A readable summary of the latest research on native bees.
Download or read book The Behavioural and Population Ecology of an Australian Native Bee Amphylaeus Morosus Smith Colletidae Hylaeinae written by Allan Spessa and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Honey Bees written by James Devillers and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2002-02-21 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Honey Bees: Estimating the Environmental Impact of Chemicals is an updated account of the different strategies for assessing the ecotoxicity of xenobiotics against these social insects, which play a key role in both ecology and agriculture. In addition to the classical acute laboratory test, semi-field cage tests and full field funnel tests, new te
Download or read book Pot Honey written by Patricia Vit and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-01-17 with total page 655 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The stingless bees are one of the most diverse, attractive, fascinating, conspicuous and useful of all the insect groups of the tropical world. This is a formidable and contentious claim but I believe it can be backed up. They are fifty times more species rich than the honey bees, the other tribe of highly eusocial bees. They are ubiquitous in the tropics and thrive in tropical cities. In rural areas, they nest in a diversity of sites and are found on the flowers of a broad diversity of crop plants. Their role in natural systems is barely studied but they almost certainly deserve that hallowed title of keystone species. They are popular with the general public and are greatly appreciated in zoos and gardens. The chapters of this book provide abundant further evidence of the ecological and economic importance of stingless bees.
Download or read book The Tears of Re written by Gene Kritsky and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-10-08 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to Egyptian mythology, when the ancient Egyptian sun god Re cried, his tears turned into honey bees upon touching the ground. For this reason, the honey bee was sacrosanct in ancient Egyptian culture. From the art depicting bees on temple walls to the usage of beeswax as a healing ointment, the honey bee was a pervasive cultural motif in ancient Egypt because of its connection to the sun god Re. Gene Kritsky delivers a concise introduction of the relationship between the honey bee and ancient Egyptian culture, through the lenses of linguistics, archeology, religion, health, and economics. Kritsky delves into ancient Egypt's multifaceted society, and traces the importance of the honey bee in everything from death rituals to trade. In doing so, Kritsky brings new evidence to light of how advanced and fascinating the ancient Egyptians were. This richly illustrated work appeals to a broad range of interests. For archeology lovers, Kritsky delves into the archeological evidence of Egyptian beekeeping and discusses newly discovered tombs, as well as evidence of manmade hives. Linguists will be fascinated by Kritsky's discussion of the first documented written evidence of the honeybee hieroglyph. And anyone interested in ancient Egypt or ancient cultures in general will be intrigued by Kritsky's treatment of the first documented beekeepers. This book provides a unique social commentary of a community so far removed from modern humans chronologically speaking, and yet so fascinating because of the stunning advances their society made. Beekeeping is the latest evidence of how ahead of their times the Egyptians were, and the ensuing narrative is as captivating as every other aspect of ancient Egyptian culture.
Download or read book Biogeography and Taxonomy of Honeybees written by Friedrich Ruttner and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Honeybees are as small as flies or as large as hornets, nesting in nar row cavities of trees and rocks or in the open on large limbs of trees 30 m above ground. They occur in tropical zones and in the forests of the Ural mountains, they survive seven months of winter and even longer periods of drought and heat. Historically, they lived through a extended time of stagnation in the tropics from the mid-Tertiary, but then experienced an explosive evolution during the Pleistocene, re sulting in the conquest of huge new territories and the origin of two dozen subspecies in Apis mellifera. This vast geographic and ecologic diversification of the genus Apis was accompanied by a rich morphological variation, less on the level of species than at the lowest rank, the subspecies level. Variation being exclusively of a quantitative kind at this first step of speciation, tradi tional descriptive methods of systematics proved to be unsatisfactory, and honeybee taxonomy finally ended up in a confusing multitude of inadequately described units. Effective methods of morphometric-sta tistical analysis of honeybee popUlations, centered on limited areas, have been developed during the last decades. Only the numerical characterization of the populations, together with the description of behavior, shows the true geographic variability and will end current generalizations and convenient stereotypes.
