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ViewAttendees 4

10-Minute Paper

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

SysEB: Conservation

Alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) productivity is negatively correlated with honey bee (Apis mellifera) foraging preferences in Virginian landscapes

Sunday, November 5, 2023
8:00 AM – 8:12 AM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Maryland D
In-Person
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) may serve as bioindicators of habitat quality because we can observe, decode, map, and analyze the information encoded in the waggle dance communication, which allows us to know where and when bees are collecting high quality forage. Previously we measured honey bee foraging for two years (2018-2019) by dance decoding at three sites in Virginia (Blacksburg, Winchester, Suffolk), consisting of different, dominant landcover types. Here we use that dance data to predict the success of a non-Apis bee, the Alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata), in these same landscapes. We installed 15 nest box stations at each of the three sites, each stocked with nesting materials and 160 M. rotundata cocoons, at a range of honey bee foraging propensities. From May-August for two years (2021-2022), we monitored the boxes and collected relative floral abundance data. We found that there was an overall negative relationship between honey bee foraging probability and Alfalfa leafcutting bee productivity (p < 0.001), where areas of higher honey bee foraging probability were associated with lower leafcutting bee productivity. This surprising result is in the opposite direction to our original hypothesis. Additionally, M.rotundata productivity varied by site and was positively associated with clover abundance, both red and white. These data demonstrate that while honey bees may indeed act as bioindicators for themselves, their doing so for other insect pollinators will likely be species and context specific and may even specify the opposite direction.