BEESCOUT: A model of bee scouting behaviour and a software tool for characterizing nectar/pollen landscapes for BEEHAVE

Becher, Melissa; Grimm, Volker; Knapp, Jessica; Horn, Juliane; Twiston-Davies, Grace; Osborne, Juliet L.

doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.09.013

Cited by 58 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…A map of each study site was separately input into the model and manually edited (if needed) using the functions available within the program (Becher et al, 2016).…”

Section: Bumble-beehave Simulations Using Bee-stewardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bombus terrestris in a mass‐flowering pollinator‐dependent crop: A mutualistic relationship?

Knapp

Becher

Rankin

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Bumblebees (Bombus spp.) rely on an abundant and diverse selection of floral resources to meet their nutritional requirements. In farmed landscapes, mass‐flowering crops can provide an important forage resource for bumblebees, with increased visitation from bumblebees into mass‐flowering crops having an additional benefit to growers who require pollination services. This study explores the mutualistic relationship between Bombus terrestris L. (buff‐tailed bumblebee), a common species in European farmland, and the mass‐flowering crop courgette (Cucurbita pepo L.) to see how effective B. terrestris is at pollinating courgette and in return how courgette may affect B. terrestris colony dynamics. By combining empirical data on nectar and pollen availability with model simulations using the novel bumblebee model Bumble‐BEEHAVE, we were able to quantify and simulate for the first time, the importance of courgette as a mass‐flowering forage resource for bumblebees. Courgette provides vast quantities of nectar to ensure a high visitation rate, which combined with abundant pollen grains, enables B. terrestris to have a high pollination potential. While B. terrestris showed a strong fidelity to courgette flowers for nectar, courgette pollen was not found in any pollen loads from returning foragers. Nonetheless, model simulations showed that early season courgette (nectar) increased the number of hibernating queens, colonies, and adult workers in the modeled landscapes. Synthesis and applications. Courgette has the potential to improve bumblebee population dynamics; however, the lack of evidence of the bees collecting courgette pollen in this study suggests that bees can only benefit from this transient nectar source if alternative floral resources, particularly pollen, are also available to fulfill bees’ nutritional requirements in space and time. Therefore, providing additional forage resources could simultaneously improve pollination services and bumblebee populations.

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“…A map of each study site was separately input into the model and manually edited (if needed) using the functions available within the program (Becher et al, 2016).…”

Section: Bumble-beehave Simulations Using Bee-stewardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bombus terrestris in a mass‐flowering pollinator‐dependent crop: A mutualistic relationship?

Knapp

Becher

Rankin

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Time in the model proceeds in daily steps, during which bees can perform different tasks of various durations. The modelled landscape comprises a number of food sources, seasonally providing nectar and pollen of varying quality and quantity and can be created using the BEEHAVE landscape module BEESCOUT (Becher et al., ). Weather is not explicitly implemented in the model but it is represented by specifying the daily allowance of foraging hours (i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Detection probability (Becher et al, ; Appendix , ODD: p. 88—DetectionProbREP) for each patch was calculated from its distance to the colony using BEESCOUT (version 2.0, Appendix ) and assuming approximate maximal foraging range of 758 m for B. terrestris (Knight et al., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We have taken a broadly similar approach to that used for development of the well-used BEEHAVE model of honeybee colony dynamics (Becher et al, 2014;EFSA, 2015), incorporating our BEESCOUT model of bees searching for forage in landscapes (Becher et al, 2016) and including substantial Supporting Information. Bumble-BEEHAVE is an agent-based model (Grimm & Railsback, 2005) where individual behaviour is determined by stimuli and thresholds that scale up to colony-and population-level processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bumble‐BEEHAVE: A systems model for exploring multifactorial causes of bumblebee decline at individual, colony, population and community level

Becher

Twiston-Davies

Penny

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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World‐wide declines in pollinators, including bumblebees, are attributed to a multitude of stressors such as habitat loss, resource availability, emerging viruses and parasites, exposure to pesticides, and climate change, operating at various spatial and temporal scales. Disentangling individual and interacting effects of these stressors, and understanding their impact at the individual, colony and population level are a challenge for systems ecology. Empirical testing of all combinations and contexts is not feasible. A mechanistic multilevel systems model (individual‐colony‐population‐community) is required to explore resilience mechanisms of populations and communities under stress.We present a model which can simulate the growth, behaviour and survival of six UK bumblebee species living in any mapped landscape. Bumble‐BEEHAVE simulates, in an agent‐based approach, the colony development of bumblebees in a realistic landscape to study how multiple stressors affect bee numbers and population dynamics. We provide extensive documentation, including sensitivity analysis and validation, based on data from literature. The model is freely available, has flexible settings and includes a user manual to ensure it can be used by researchers, farmers, policy‐makers, NGOs or other interested parties.Model outcomes compare well with empirical data for individual foraging behaviour, colony growth and reproduction, and estimated nest densities.Simulating the impact of reproductive depression caused by pesticide exposure shows that the complex feedback mechanisms captured in this model predict higher colony resilience to stress than suggested by a previous, simpler model. Synthesis and applications. The Bumble‐BEEHAVE model represents a significant step towards predicting bumblebee population dynamics in a spatially explicit way. It enables researchers to understand the individual and interacting effects of the multiple stressors affecting bumblebee survival and the feedback mechanisms that may buffer a colony against environmental stress, or indeed lead to spiralling colony collapse. The model can be used to aid the design of field experiments, for risk assessments, to inform conservation and farming decisions and for assigning bespoke management recommendations at a landscape scale.

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“…More sophisticated models with temporal dynamics had to be used to understand bee foraging and possible landscape enhancement. These models aimed to understand impact of bee foraging on local flora for plant disease spread (Garcia Adeva 2012) or explore the influence of various stressors (varroa mites, changes in landscape structure) on bee colonies (Becher et al 2014) and scouting behaviors (Becher et al 2016). More recently, Baveco et al (2016) have developed a mechanistic energetics-based foraging model to reduce exposure to pesticides by testing landscape management options.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping floral resources for honey bees in New Zealand at the catchment scale

Ausseil

Dymond

Newstrom³

2018

Ecological Applications

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Honey bees require nectar and pollen from flowers: nectar for energy and pollen for growth. The demand for nectar and pollen varies during the year, with more pollen needed in spring for colony population growth and more nectar needed in summer to sustain the maximum colony size and collect surplus nectar stores for winter. Sufficient bee forage is therefore necessary to ensure a healthy bee colony. Land-use changes can reduce the availability of floral resources suitable for bees, thereby increasing the susceptibility of bees to other stressors such as disease and pesticides. In contrast, land-based management decisions to protect or plant bee forage can enhance pollen and nectar supply to bees while meeting other goals such as riparian planting for water-quality improvement. Commercial demand for honey can also put pressure on floral resources through over-crowding of hives. To help understand and manage floral resources for bees, we developed a spatial model for mapping monthly nectar and pollen production from maps of land cover. Based on monthly estimated production data we mapped potential monthly supply of nectar and pollen to a given apiary location in the landscape. This is done by summing the total production within the foraging range of the apiary while subtracting the estimated nectar converted to energy for collection. Ratios of estimated supply over theoretical hive demand may then be used to infer a potential landscape carrying capacity to sustain hives. This model framework is quantitative and spatial, utilizing estimated flight energy costs for nectar foraging. It can contribute to management decisions such as where apiaries could be placed in the landscape depending on floral resources and where nectar limited areas may be located. It can contribute to planning areas for bee protection or planting such as in riparian vegetation. This would aid managed bee health, wild pollinator protection, and honey production. We demonstrate the methods in a case study in New Zealand where there is a growing demand for mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey production.

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BEESCOUT: A model of bee scouting behaviour and a software tool for characterizing nectar/pollen landscapes for BEEHAVE

Abstract: Graphical abstract

Cited by 58 publications

References 53 publications

Bombus terrestris in a mass‐flowering pollinator‐dependent crop: A mutualistic relationship?

Bombus terrestris in a mass‐flowering pollinator‐dependent crop: A mutualistic relationship?

Bumble‐BEEHAVE: A systems model for exploring multifactorial causes of bumblebee decline at individual, colony, population and community level

Mapping floral resources for honey bees in New Zealand at the catchment scale

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