Initial data on the specific heterogeneity found in the bee pollen loads produced in the “Baixa Limia-Serra do Xurés” nature reserve

Analysis of pollen loads in a wild bee community (Hymenoptera: Apidae) – a method for elucidating habitat use and foraging distances

“…Kratochwil, 1984;Minckley et al, 1999;Steffan-Dewenter and Tscharntke, 2001). Analysis of bee pollenloads documents the used resources and has so far been applied in only a few studies Schmidt, 1986, 1987;Kohl, 1988Kohl, , 1989Carvell et al, 2006); when used it often refers to only one wild bee species (Quiroz-Garcia et al, 2001;Williams and Tepedino, 2003;Kraemer and Favi, 2005) or Apis mellifera L. (Diaz-Losada et al, 1998;De-Sá-Otero et al, 2005).…”

Initial data on the specific heterogeneity found in the bee pollen loads produced in the Pontevedra region (north‐west Spain)

“…pollen production is unsatisfactory, forcing the honeybee to explore new plants resulting in heterogeneous pollen load production Apis mellifera bees are pollinating insects of a generalist nature; they visit a wide range of plant species, obtaining pollen and nectar from their flowers. They adapt everywhere to the characteristics of the local vegetation, although they have preferences for different species in relation to the nutritional reward offered by each of them, as they are able to distinguish plants by their flower form, size, or colour (van der Pijl, 1960;Fraegri & van der Pijl, 1971;Proctor & Yeo, 1972;Stebbins, 1981;Davis, 1997) De Sá-Otero et al (2005) established that heterogeneous pollen loads consisted of species that grow in associated vegetation formations near the beehive. Thus, combinations of different types of heather with species of Halimium alyssoides and Cytisus scoparius-type; combinations of meadow species with Lotus corniculatus pollen together with Plantago lanceolata, Geranium molle or Anthemis arvensis L. pollen, and combinations of rock or roadside species (Sedum acre together with Reseda media pollen) occur.…”

“…Our intention is to determine the frequency and composition of mixed pollen loads and to consider the different factors that could determine the lack of homogeneity within them and to relate the results obtained to other studies of the same nature made in a close geographic proximity (De Sá-Otero et al, 2005).…”