Bumble bees tolerate extreme conditions better than many other pollinators. Cold, heat, rain, light levels, and wind can all affect the ability of bees to fly from flower to flower and perform their duties. Environmental ConditionsĪside from working in a greenhouse, most pollinators are exposed to extremely variable working conditions. However, shorttongued bumble bees will have the same difficulties as honey bees. Long-tongued bumble bees have no trouble reaching the nectar at the bottom of red clover flowers. If there are other flowers with accessible nectar, the honey bees will focus their foraging efforts on those plants. Although honey bees will visit red clover for pollen, which is more easily accessible, they cannot be relied on to consistently visit red clover. Honey bees can reach the red clover nectar if they push their heads into the tube and if the nectar level is high. Honey bees have a tongue length of only 15/64 to 1⁄4 inch (~5.9 to 6.25 millimeters). Red clover flowers have tubes that are 19/64 inch (~7.5 millimeters) or deeper. This is why bumble bees with long tongues are often preferred for pollinating flowers with long tubes.Īn example of a crop that does well with longtongued bees is red clover. The bees receive nectar, but the bees do not come into contact with the reproductive parts of the flower and so are not providing effective pollination services in return for this nectar. Honey bees and bumble bees with shorter tongues, which are unable to reach the nectar, will sometimes bite a hole at the bottom of the flower to access the nectar. When the bee enters the tube to access the nectar, she comes into contact with the pollen from that flower and will transport it to other flowers she visits, thus pollinating the flowers. To achieve pollination, the bee’s tongue must be long enough to reach the nectar at the bottom of the tube. Some flowers have a narrow tube with nectar at the bottom. Tongue length is an important consideration as it directly affects a bee’s ability to access nectar from flowers. Bumble bee tongue lengths range from 3/16 to 19/32 inch (~5 to 15 millimeters). One of the most variable features between different species of bumble bees is tongue length. Characteristics that make bumble bees great pollinators include long tongues in some species, ability to fly in cold weather and low light, ability to buzz pollinate, and ease of use in greenhouse conditions. However, bumble bees make up for these shortcomings in their extreme efficiency as pollinators. Bumble bee colonies do not usually contain more than 300 bees compared to 30,000 bees in a honey bee colony. Bumble bee colonies are not as easy to raise as honey bees. However, it is never wise to rely on only one method for a service as important as pollination. Their large colonies and ease of transportation make them an effective and relatively easy-to-use pollinator. As agriculture has moved towards larger fields with less surrounding wild area, farmers have become more dependent on bringing honey bees in to pollinate their crops. With strong pollinator populations and smaller field sizes, some farmers relied on the pollination services provided by native bees. When farms were smaller and set within a more diverse landscape, wild native bees provided pollination services for many crops. Appendix F: Nest Material Comparison for Leafcutter and Mason Bees.Appendix E: Hybrid Nest Blocks for Cavity-Nesting Bees.Appendix D: Reducing Bee Poisoning from Pesticides.Appendix B: X-Ray Procedures for Cavity-Nesting Bees.Appendix A: Managing Parasites and Disease in Solitary Bee Operations.Chapter Ten: Habitat Conservation for Native Pollinators.Chapter Nine: The Search for New Managed Pollinators.Chapter Eight: Other Managed Pollinators. Chapter Seven: The Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee.Chapter Three: A Brief Natural History of Bees.Chapter Two: The Status of the European Honey Bee in the US.Chapter One: The Business of Pollination.Or call to order: (301) 779-1007 Table of contents
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