5. Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Biocontrol

Kevan, Peter G.; Kapongo, Jean-Pierre; Al-mazra’awi, Mohammad S.; Shipp, Les

doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195316957.003.0005

Cited by 24 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Finally, although contact with petals can occur as foragers side-work for nectar (Thomson and Goodell, 2001), these collective behaviors may explain the lack of a significant effect of apiary distance on bacterial diversity observed on petals vs. nectar and reproductive structures of the flower. In sum, these patterns point to increased consideration of both apiary spacing, and pollinator foraging behavior, as interest grows in leveraging pollinators as vectors of microbial biocontrol agents to combat disease (Kevan et al ., 2008; Menzler-Hokkanen and Hokkanen, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological dynamics of the almond floral microbiome in relation to crop management and pollination

Schaeffer

Crowder

Illán

et al. 2020

Preprint

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1. Crop tissues harbor microbiomes that can affect host health and yield. However, processes driving microbiome assembly, and resulting effects on ecosystem services, remain poorly understood. This is particularly true of flowering crops that rely on pollinators for yield. 2. We assessed effects of orchard management tactics and landscape context on the flower microbiome in almond, Prunus dulcis. Fourteen orchards (5 conventional, 4 organic, 5 habitat augmentation) were sampled at two bloom stages to characterize bacterial and fungal communities associated with floral tissues. The surveys were complemented by in vitro experiments to assess effects of arrival order and fungicides on nectar microbial communities, and effects of fungicides and microbes on honey bee foraging. Finally, a field trial was conducted to test effects of fungicides and microbes on pollination. 3. As bloom progressed, bacterial and fungal abundance and diversity increased, across all floral tissue types and management strategies. The magnitude by which microbial abundance and diversity were affected varied, with host proximity to apiaries and orchard management having notable effects on bacteria and fungi, respectively. 4. Experiments showed immigration history and fungicides affected the composition of nectar microbial communities, but only fungicides affected pollinator foraging through reduced nectar removal. Neither treatment affected pollination services. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our results shed light on routes through which management practices can shape microbiota associated with flowers of a pollinator-dependent crop. With growing appreciation for the role of floral-associated microbes in affecting biotic interactions at the floral interface, understanding such drivers can potentially inform microbial-derived ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes, including pollination and biocontrol.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological dynamics of the almond floral microbiome in relation to crop management and pollination

Schaeffer

Crowder

Illán

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…So far, however, the inclusion of bees in environmental risk assessment is restricted to honey bees and, in a few cases, to bumblebees (Kevan et al 2008. Particularly honey bees have often used as non-target organisms to test the impacts of pesticides (Thompson 2003).…”

Section: Environmental Monitoring With Wild Bees In Agro-ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring agricultural ecosystems by using wild bees as environmental indicators

Schindler

Diestelhorst²,

Haertel³

et al. 2013

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Wild bees are abundant in agricultural ecosystems and contribute significantly to the pollination of many crops. The specialisation of many wild bees on particular nesting sites and food resources makes them sensitive to changing habitat conditions. Therefore wild bees are important indicators for environmental impact assessments. Long-term monitoring schemes to measure changes of wild bee communities in agricultural ecosystems are currently lacking. Here we suggest a highly standardized monitoring approach which combines transect walks and pan traps (bowls). The combination of these two methods provides high sample coverage and reveals data on plant-pollinator interactions. We point out that comprehensive methodical, biological and taxonomical expertise is mandatory. The suggested approach is applicable to diverse monitoring goals in an agricultural context e.g. the impact of land use changes as well as monitoring potential effects of GM crops on wild bees.

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“…The bee-vectoring system involves several interactions between the vector, the target crop and the pest organism 22 . Compared to a greenhouse, open field conditions create several additional obstacles when using bees for preparation delivery.…”

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confidence: 99%

Reliability of the entomovector technology using Prestop-Mix and Bombus terrestris L. as a fungal disease biocontrol method in open field

Karise

Dreyersdorff

Jahani

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Botrytis cinerea Pers.:Fr. is a major plant pathogen, and a new approach is needed for its control in strawberry to minimise the increasing use of synthetic fungicides. The biofungicide Prestop-Mix, which contains Gliocladium catenulatum, is effective against Botrytis infections; however, the need for frequent applications increases the costs for farmers. Here, we demonstrate that bumble bees, Bombus terrestris L., effectively disseminate the preparation onto flowers in open field conditions. Over the course of three years, we found a highly significant decrease in the rate of Botrytis infection. Pathogen control was achieved with relatively low numbers of G. catenulatum spores per flower, even using flowers that are not highly attractive to bumble bees. An even distribution of spores was detected up to 100 m from the hives, either due to primary inoculation by bumble bees or secondary distribution by other flower visitors such as honey bees and solitary bees. We showed that the application of a biocontrol agent by bumble bees is reliable for the use of environmentally friendly pest control strategies in northern climatic conditions. This low cost technology is especially relevant for organic farming. This study provides valuable information for introducing this method into practice in open strawberry fields.

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5. Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Biocontrol

Cited by 24 publications

References 0 publications

Ecological dynamics of the almond floral microbiome in relation to crop management and pollination

Ecological dynamics of the almond floral microbiome in relation to crop management and pollination

Monitoring agricultural ecosystems by using wild bees as environmental indicators

Reliability of the entomovector technology using Prestop-Mix and Bombus terrestris L. as a fungal disease biocontrol method in open field

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