Modelling seasonal effects of temperature and precipitation on honey bee winter mortality in a temperate climate

Switanek, Matthew B.; Crailsheim, Karl; Truhetz, Heimo; Brodschneider, Robert

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.178

Cited by 124 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…In both the honeybee average models and the bumblebee models, climatic factors were of relatively high importance. For honeybees, the annual mean temperature showed negative effects, which can be interpreted to be in line with a recent study of Switanek, Crailsheim, Truhetz, and Brodschneider (). This study found an increase in honeybee winter colony mortality when weather conditions in the preceding year were warmer and drier.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Risk of potential pesticide use to honeybee and bumblebee survival and distribution: A country‐wide analysis for The Netherlands

Kom

Biesmeijer

Aguirre‐Gutiérrez

2019

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim:Bees play an important role in natural ecosystems and the world's food supply.In the past decades, bee abundance and diversity have declined globally. This has resulted in decreased pollination services for natural ecosystems and the agricultural sector at the field scale. One of the causes of the decline in bee abundance and diversity is the use of pesticides. Linking pesticide use, land use and bee presence could provide crucial insights into areas, and pesticides that pose a significant threat to the abundance and diversity of bees. Obtaining actual figures of farmer pesticide use is rarely possible. Therefore, we designed a method to study the effects of potential pesticide use on the survival and distribution of honeybees and bumblebees. Location: The Netherlands. Methods: A pesticide risk model was implemented incorporating a hazard quotient as the risk assessment. The number of allowed pesticide active ingredients per crop that could pose a risk to honeybees and bumblebees was linked to the Dutch crop parcel locations for 2015 and 2016. The potential pesticide risk maps were analysed using honeybee colony survival and bumblebee presence data. Results: Non-significant negative effects of potential pesticide risk on honeybee colony survival and bumblebee presence were found. A significant negative effect of greenhouses was identified for both honeybees and bumblebees. The most important factors in the models predicting honeybee colony survival and bumblebee presence were urban land areas and natural grasslands, respectively, both showing a positive effect. Main conclusions:Here, the first attempt to estimate and map pesticide risk to bees in the Netherlands in a country-wide manner is presented. The results could provide crucial high-resolution insights for bee conservation action and facilitate the increase of pollination services in natural ecosystems and the agricultural sector on a local and country-wide scale.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Risk of potential pesticide use to honeybee and bumblebee survival and distribution: A country‐wide analysis for The Netherlands

Kom

Biesmeijer

Aguirre‐Gutiérrez

2019

Diversity and Distributions

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“…Finally, quantifying honeybee colony responses to climatic variations will help to model and further predict their dynamic and/or survival under different climate change scenarios (Switanek et al .) 66 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colony adaptive response to simulated heat waves and consequences at the individual level in honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Bordier¹,

Dechatre²,

Suchail

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Since climate change is expected to bring more severe and frequent extreme weather events such as heat waves, assessing the physiological and behavioural sensitivity of organisms to temperature becomes a priority. We therefore investigated the responses of honeybees, an important insect pollinator, to simulated heat waves (SHW). Honeybees are known to maintain strict brood thermoregulation, but the consequences at the colony and individual levels remain poorly understood. For the first time, we quantified and modelled colony real-time activity and found a 70% increase in foraging activity with SHW, which was likely due to the recruitment of previously inactive bees. Pollen and nectar foraging was not impacted, but an increase in water foragers was observed at the expense of empty bees. Contrary to individual energetic resources, vitellogenin levels increased with SHW, probably to protect bees against oxidative stress. Finally, though immune functions were not altered, we observed a significant decrease in deformed wing virus loads with SHW. In conclusion, we demonstrated that honeybees could remarkably adapt to heat waves without a cost at the individual level and on resource flow. However, the recruitment of backup foraging forces might be costly by lowering the colony buffering capacity against additional environmental pressures.

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“…Wildlife may not be able to forage effectively in frozen soil, and insects that over‐winter beneath an insulating snow cover may suffer greater winter losses (Penczykowski et al, ). For example, over‐winter colony losses of honey bees have been associated with increased winter weather variability (Switanek et al, ). These impacts can be significant and further detrimentally affect elements of social systems (e.g., commerce and municipal activities).…”

Section: Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winter Weather Whiplash: Impacts of Meteorological Events Misaligned With Natural and Human Systems in Seasonally Snow‐Covered Regions

et al. 2019

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Weather whiplash" is a colloquial phrase for describing an extreme event that includes shifts between two opposing weather conditions. Prior media coverage and research on these types of extremes have largely ignored winter weather events. However, rapid swings in winter weather can result in crossing from frozen to unfrozen conditions, or vice versa; thus, the potential impact of these types of events on coupled human and natural systems may be large. Given rapidly changing winter conditions in seasonally snow-covered regions, there is a pressing need for a deeper understanding of such events and the extent of their impacts to minimize their risks. Here we introduce the concept of winter weather whiplash, defined as a class of extreme event in which a collision of unexpected conditions produces a forceful, rapid, back-and-forth change in winter weather that induces an outsized impact on coupled human and natural systems. Using a series of case studies, we demonstrate that the effects of winter weather whiplash events depend on the natural and human context in which they occur, and discuss how these events may result in the restructuring of social and ecological systems. We use the long-term hydrometeorological record at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, USA to demonstrate quantitative methods for delineating winter weather whiplash events and their biophysical impacts. Ultimately, we argue that robust conceptual and quantitative frameworks for understanding winter weather whiplash events will contribute to the ways in which we mitigate and adapt to winter climate change in vulnerable regions. Plain Language SummaryWeather whiplash is a term used by researchers and the media to describe wild and rapid shifts in weather conditions. Here we investigate "winter weather whiplash" events, which are characterized by weather conditions swinging from frozen to unfrozen (or vice versa). These events have important consequences for ecosystems and communities, especially when they occur at unusual times of the year. Impacts of these events include tree damage, flooding, electrical outages, and crop damage. We use a series of case studies to explore the impacts of these events and analyze a long-term data set to demonstrate how they might be detected from weather data. Understanding winter weather whiplash events will help decision makers and planners adapt and mitigate these events in the future.

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Modelling seasonal effects of temperature and precipitation on honey bee winter mortality in a temperate climate

Cited by 124 publications

References 53 publications

Risk of potential pesticide use to honeybee and bumblebee survival and distribution: A country‐wide analysis for The Netherlands

Risk of potential pesticide use to honeybee and bumblebee survival and distribution: A country‐wide analysis for The Netherlands

Colony adaptive response to simulated heat waves and consequences at the individual level in honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Winter Weather Whiplash: Impacts of Meteorological Events Misaligned With Natural and Human Systems in Seasonally Snow‐Covered Regions

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