09-15-15 Bee Field Note

09-15-15 Bee Field Note

September 15, 2015

Marirose Kuhlman's bee field note details late summer pollinators and the plants that sustain them.

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Late Summer Pollinators September 14, 2015 Marirose Kuhlman

James Sapp searches for bees during a monitoring survey. Bee abundance drops in late summer when floral resources decline. Successful bee-netting requires a keen eye and quick reflex.

Invasive plants like spotted knapweed provide food for pollinators after most native plants have senesced. Above, a Two-form Bumble Bee takes advantage of this resource. (Bombus bifarius on Centaurea stoebe)

Most bees transport pollen on specialized leg hairs. Leaf-cutter bees instead use hairs on the underside of their abdomen. This native Western Leaf-cutter Bee, its abdomen bright yellow with pollen, forages on Maximilian sunflower in MPG’s seed farm. (Megachile perihirta on Helianthus maximiliani)

Kochia produces copious pollen from inconspicuous flowers. A European Honey Bee peruses the ample food resource. (Kochia scoparia and Apis mellifera)

Rocky Mountain bee-plant blooms in late summer and attracts myriad pollinators. Above, European Honey Bees race towards the main attraction. Honey Bees are non-native, yet vital, pollinators in North America. (Cleome serrulata and Apis mellifera)

A Hunt’s Bumble Bee (Bombus huntii) forages on Rocky Mountain bee-plant near the North Pivot. We have documented seven species of bumble bee at MPG Ranch.

A Sweat Bee works over a Maximilian sunflower in the seed farm. Like other female bees in the Sweat Bee family (Halictidae), she transports pollen on her legs. (Lasioglossum sp. on Helianthus maximiliani)

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