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Date: | Thu, 11 Feb 2021 13:09:13 -0500 |
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A new study suggests that the combination of managed honey bee pollination and the planting of wildflower strips used to attract native pollinators, might not be the best practice. The study demonstrates that when honey bees are in competition with native pollinators for certain crops the fruit count diminishes along with the native pollinator populations.
> Although wild bee species richness increased with bloom density within wildflower strips, populations did not differ significantly between farms with and without them whereas fruit counts in both crops increased on farms with wildflower strips during one of 2 years. By contrast, wild bee abundance decreased
by 48%, species richness by 20%, and strawberry fruit count by 18% across all farms with honey bee hives regardless of wildflower strip presence, and winter squash fruit count was consistently lower on farms with wildflower strips with hives as well. This work demonstrates that honey bee hives could detrimentally affect fruit count and wild bee populations on farms, and that benefits conferred by wildflower strips might not offset these negative impacts. Keeping honey bee hives on farms with wildflower strips could reduce conservation and pollination services.
>The results of our study suggest that under some circumstances, supplementing farms with honey bee hives could detract from fruit count in pollinator-dependent crops and decrease wild bee abundance and species richness. Moreover, although wildflower strips provided a limited boost to fruit count, they did not alleviate honey bee hive-associated decreases in fruit count or decreases in wild bees on farms. As such, our study implies honey bee hives may detract from the goals of wildflower strips to enhance fruit count and support wild pollinator populations. Our research also suggests wild pollinators in the Mid-Atlantic region may have the potential to meet or exceed pollination services by honey bees in pollinator-dependent crops such as strawberry and winter squash.
Honey bee hives decrease wild bee abundance, species richness, and fruit count on farms regardless of wildflower strips
G. M. Angelella et al.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81967-1
Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT
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