use of novel pollen species by specialist and generalist solitary bees (hymenoptera: megachilidae). | if trade-offs between flexibility to use a range of host species and efficiency on a limited set underlie the evolution of diet breadth, one resulting prediction is that specialists ought to be more restricted than generalists in their ability to use novel resource species. i used foraging tests and feeding trials to compare the ability of a generalist and a specialist solitary mason bee species to collect and develop on two pollen species that are not normally used in natural populations (novel ... | 2003 | 12647164 |
comparison of pollen transfer dynamics by multiple floral visitors: experiments with pollen and fluorescent dye. | most plant species are visited by a diversity of floral visitors. pollen transfer of the four most common pollinating bee species and one nectar-robbing bee of the distylous plant gelsemium sempervirens were compared. | 2006 | 16299005 |
effect of temperature on osmia lignaria (hymenoptera: megachilidae) prepupa-adult development, survival, and emergence. | the solitary bee osmia lignaria say continues to be developed as an orchard pollinator in the united states and southern canada. female bees are active during the early spring and construct nests consisting of a linear series of unlined cells delimited by mud partitions. cells are provisioned with a pollen/nectar mass on which an egg is deposited, and nests are sealed with a mud plug. in 1997, we initiated two experiments on the development, mortality, and emergence of o. lignaria at selected la ... | 2005 | 16539114 |
bee population returns and cherry yields in an orchard pollinated with osmia lignaria (hymenoptera: megachilidae). | during 1998-2003, we used populations of the solitary bee osmia lignaria say to pollinate a commercial sweet cherry orchard in northern utah. bee densities released each year ranged from 1290 to 1857 females/ha, with approximately twice as many males. female progeny produced each year were greater than parental populations released, except in 2003, when nesting was poor due to bird predation. despite poor weather during bloom, and in contrast to most other local producers, the study orchard prod ... | 2006 | 16686139 |
olfactory response of megachilid bees, osmia lignaria, megachile rotundata, and m. pugnata, to individual cues from old nest cavities. | the megachilid bees osmia lignaria say, megachile rotundata (f.), and m. pugnata say were tested for attraction to various components associated with their old nest cavities, or chemical extracts of these components, using a y-tube olfactory response bioassay. female bees of these species are known to nest in or near old nest cavities, implying that remnant nest components are important cues for bees looking for nest cavities. significant results show that female bees were attracted to component ... | 2007 | 17445375 |
resource distributions among habitats determine solitary bee offspring production in a mosaic landscape. | within mosaic landscapes, many organisms depend on attributes of the environment that operate over scales ranging from a single habitat patch to the entire landscape. one such attribute is resource distribution. organisms' reliance on resources from within a local patch vs. those found among habitats throughout the landscape will depend on local habitat quality, patch quality, and landscape composition. the ability of individuals to move among complementary habitat types to obtain various resour ... | 2007 | 17494406 |
experience-dependent plasticity in the mushroom bodies of the solitary bee osmia lignaria (megachilidae). | all members of the solitary bee species osmia lignaria (the orchard bee) forage upon emergence from their natal nest cell. conversely, in the honey bee, days-to-weeks of socially regulated behavioral development precede the onset of foraging. the social honey bee's behavioral transition to foraging is accompanied by neuroanatomical changes in the mushroom bodies, a region of the insect brain implicated in learning. if these changes were general adaptations to foraging, they should also occur in ... | 2008 | 17918235 |
foraging and nesting behavior of osmia lignaria (hymenoptera: megachilidae) in the presence of fungicides: cage studies. | during orchard pollination studies in california, we observed dramatic changes in nesting and foraging behavior of osmia lignaria say (hymenoptera: megachilidae) after sprays with tank mixtures containing fungicides. a characteristic pattern of postspray events observed includes erratic behavior and interrupted foraging and nesting activity for several days. in an effort to determine whether fungicidal sprays were disruptive to bee foraging and thus to pollination, we exposed o. lignaria females ... | 2008 | 18613561 |
lethal and sublethal effects of imidacloprid on osmia lignaria and clothianidin on megachile rotundata (hymenoptera: megachilidae). | we examined lethal and sublethal effects of imidacloprid on osmia lignaria (cresson) and clothianidin on megachile rotundata (f.) (hymenoptera: megachilidae). we also made progress toward developing reliable methodology for testing pesticides on wild bees for use in pesticide registration by using field and laboratory experiments. bee larvae were exposed to control, low (3 or 6 ppb), intermediate (30 ppb), or high (300 ppb) doses of either imidacloprid or clothianidin in pollen. field experiment ... | 2008 | 18613579 |
impact of currently used or potentially useful insecticides for canola agroecosystems on bombus impatiens (hymenoptera: apidae), megachile rotundata (hymentoptera: megachilidae), and osmia lignaria (hymenoptera: megachilidae). | pest management practices may be contributing to a decline in wild bee populations in or near canola (brassica napus l.) agroecosystems. the objective of this study was to investigate the direct contact toxicity of five technical grade insecticides--imidacloprid, clothianidin, deltamethrin, spinosad, and novaluron--currently used, or with potential for use in canola integrated pest management on bees that may forage in canola: common eastern bumble bees [bombus impatiens (cresson); hereafter bum ... | 2009 | 19253634 |
cuticular lipids of female solitary bees, osmia lignaria say and megachile rotundata (f.) (hymenoptera: megachilidae). | the cuticular lipids of the cavity-nesting adult female solitary bees, osmia lignaria say and megachile rotundata (f.) (hymenoptera: megachilidae), were analyzed by gas chromatography (gc) and combined gc-mass spectrometry. the cuticular lipids of these female bees are mainly consisted of hydrocarbons. for o. lignaria, nearly 64% of the cuticular lipids were c(25)-c(31) mono-alkenes. for m. rotundata, 48% of the cuticular lipids were c(23)-c(33) alkanes with nearly the same quantities of the sam ... | 2009 | 19298863 |
effect of temperature regime on diapause intensity in an adult-wintering hymenopteran with obligate diapause. | osmia lignaria is a solitary bee that over-winters as a fully eclosed, cocooned, unfed adult. our objective is to understand the effect of wintering temperature on diapause maintenance and termination in this species. we measure respiration rates and weight loss in individuals exposed to various wintering temperatures (0, 4, 7, 22 degrees c, outdoors) and durations (28, 84, 140, 196, 252 days). we use time to emerge and respiration response (respiration rate measured at 22 degrees c) as indicato ... | 2010 | 19837077 |
emergence phenology of osmia lignaria subsp. lignaria (hymenoptera: megachilidae), its parasitoid chrysura kyrae (hymenoptera: chrysididae), and bloom of cercis canadensis. | emergence patterns of a natural population of osmia lignaria subsp. lignaria say were monitored during a 5-yr period (2003-2007) in relation to air temperature, bloom of eastern redbud (cercis canadensis l.), and emergence of the parasitoid chysura kyrae krombein. bee cocoons were placed in gelatin capsules and overwintered within shelters in their natural habitat. mean emergence of female o. l. lignaria was observed at approximately 2 d after redbud bloom began; mean male emergence was approxim ... | 2010 | 20388263 |
timing of eclosion affects diapause development, fat body consumption and longevity in osmia lignaria, a univoltine, adult-wintering solitary bee. | most insects from temperate areas enter diapause ahead of winter. species diapausing in a feeding stage and accumulating metabolic reserves during permissive pre-wintering conditions are expected to enter diapause shortly before the onset of winter. in contrast, species diapausing in a non-feeding stage are expected to lower their metabolism as soon as possible to avoid excessive consumption of metabolic reserves. the solitary bee osmia lignaria winters as a non-feeding adult within its cocoon, ... | 2010 | 20816851 |
influence of rough handling on osmia lignaria (hymenoptera: megachilidae) nest establishment in commercial orchards. | osmia lignaria say (hymenoptera: megachilidae) can be used to pollinate fruit trees. populations are sometimes difficult to sustain because some female bees fail to establish at provided nesting sites. we address the hypothesis that rough handling of overwintered o. lignaria results in decreased establishment. we tested this by shaking (200 rpm for 2 min) overwintering bees as a proxy for rough handling. bees were then released in an orchard, and nest establishment of shaken and unshaken bees wa ... | 2011 | 21735890 |
The long summer: pre-wintering temperatures affect metabolic expenditure and winter survival in a solitary bee. | The impact of climate change on insect populations depends on specific life cycle traits and physiological adaptations. The solitary bee Osmia lignaria winters as a pre-emergent adult, and requires a period of cold temperature for winter diapause completion. It is a univoltine species, and diapause induction does not depend on photoperiod. To understand the potential effects of longer summers on O. lignaria populations, we exposed individuals to three treatments simulating early, mid and late wi ... | 2011 | 21910996 |
the effect of nest box distribution on sustainable propagation of osmia lignaria (hymenoptera: megachilidae) in commercial tart cherry orchards. | the blue orchard bee, osmia lignaria (say), is a solitary bee that is an excellent pollinator of tree fruit orchards. due to the annual rising costs of honey bee hive rentals, many orchardists are eager to develop management tools and practices to support o. lignaria as an alternative pollinator. establishing o. lignaria pollination as a sustainable industry requires careful consideration of both bee and orchard management. here, we test the effect of artificial nest box distribution on in-orcha ... | 2017 | 28365763 |
influence of nest box color and release sites on osmia lignaria (hymenoptera: megachilidae) reproductive success in a commercial almond orchard. | intensively managed, commercial orchards offer resources for managed solitary bees within agricultural landscapes and provide a means to study bee dispersal patterns, spatial movement, nest establishment, and reproduction. in 2012, we studied the impact of 1) the color of nest boxes covaried with four nest box density treatments and 2) the number of bee release sites covaried with two nest box density treatments on the reproductive success of osmia lignaria say in a california almond orchard pol ... | 2014 | 26470068 |
effects of fungicide and adjuvant sprays on nesting behavior in two managed solitary bees, osmia lignaria and megachile rotundata. | there is a growing body of empirical evidence showing that wild and managed bees are negatively impacted by various pesticides that are applied in agroecosystems around the world. the lethal and sublethal effects of two widely used fungicides and one adjuvant were assessed in cage studies in california on blue orchard bees, osmia lignaria, and in cage studies in utah on alfalfa leafcutting bees, megachile rotundata. the fungicides tested were rovral 4f (iprodione) and pristine (mixture of pyracl ... | 2015 | 26274401 |
reproduction and survival of a solitary bee along native and exotic floral resource gradients. | native bee abundance has long been assumed to be limited by floral resources. this paradigm has been established in large measure because more bees are often found in areas supporting greater floral abundance. this could result from attraction to resource-rich sites as well as greater local demographic performance in sites supporting high floral abundance; however, demographic performance is usually unknown. factors other than floral resources such as availability of nest sites, pressure from na ... | 2014 | 25227678 |
progeny of osmia lignaria from distinct regions differ in developmental phenology and survival under a common thermal regime. | many insects, including some bees, have extensive subcontinental distributions that can differ in climatic conditions. within and beyond these distributions, humans intentionally transport beneficial insects, including bees, to non-natal geographic locations. insects also are experiencing unprecedented climatic change in their resident localities. for solitary bees, we know very little about the adaptive plasticity and geographic variation in developmental physiology that accommodates the differ ... | 2014 | 24879969 |
nesting and pollen preference of osmia lignaria lignaria (hymenoptera: megachilidae) in virginia and north carolina orchards. | cavity-nesting megachilid bees in the genus osmia, found throughout the palearctic and nearctic regions, are good candidates for domestication. in north america, osmia lignaria say has been reported to be an excellent pollinator of tree fruit and is currently being developed for commercial use in orchards. this is largely because of research over several decades with the western subspecies of this bee, osmia lignaria propinqua cresson, in western orchards. the behavior of the eastern subspecies, ... | 2014 | 24865141 |
synergistic effects of non-apis bees and honey bees for pollination services. | in diverse pollinator communities, interspecific interactions may modify the behaviour and increase the pollination effectiveness of individual species. because agricultural production reliant on pollination is growing, improving pollination effectiveness could increase crop yield without any increase in agricultural intensity or area. in california almond, a crop highly dependent on honey bee pollination, we explored the foraging behaviour and pollination effectiveness of honey bees in orchards ... | 2013 | 23303545 |