Balanced diet can mitigate negative impact of pests for bumblebees


Date:
January 21, 2022
Source:
University of Go"ttingen
Summary:
Bumblebees are important pollinators because they pollinate many
different plant species and are extremely resilient. They can
still manage to fly at temperatures that are too cold for other
pollinators.

Like many other insects, they are in sharp decline. This makes it
even more important to find out what bumblebees need to reproduce
successfully. A team has shown that a diverse landscape and a
diverse pollen diet, which the bumblebees collect as a protein
source to nourish their offspring, play a significant role in
this. A more diverse diet could even mitigate negative effects of
infestation with parasitic wax moth larvae.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Bumblebees are important pollinators because they pollinate many different plant species and are extremely resilient. They can still manage to fly
at temperatures that are too cold for other pollinators. Like many other insects, they are in sharp decline. This makes it even more important
to find out what bumblebees need to reproduce successfully. A team from
the University of Go"ttingen has shown that a diverse landscape and a
diverse pollen diet, which the bumblebees collect as a protein source to nourish their offspring, play a significant role in this. A more diverse
diet could even mitigate negative effects of infestation with parasitic
wax moth larvae. The results were published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.


==========================================================================
The researchers established bumblebee colonies in Central and Northern
Germany and collected pollen from bumblebees returning to their hives
in order to investigate the importance of pollen nutrition and habitat diversity in agricultural landscapes on reproduction. The influence
of mass flowering monocultures with a short flower period that provides unilateral nutrition for bees, as well as landscape elements characterised
by a continuous and diverse flower supply, were analysed.

"Our study shows that it is not individual habitats, such as flower-rich gardens, or semi-natural habitats (such as hedgerows or flower strips),
that contribute to reproductive success for the large earth bumblebee
Bombus terrestris. In fact, it is rather the diversity of habitats
across the entire study landscape that is important," says first
author Sandra Schweiger, a researcher in Functional Agrobiodiversity
at Go"ttingen University. "So a wide variety of flower-rich landscape
elements must be present. In addition, a diverse pollen diet can
contribute to better colony growth and more offspring, especially for
young queens." The head of the group, Professor Catrin Westphal, adds:
"In addition, a balanced pollen diet reduces the negative effects
of infestation of the colonies with parasitic wax moth larvae,
which can severely harm the reproductive success of the bumblebees." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Go"ttingen. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Sandra Elena Schweiger, Nicole Beyer, Annika Louise Hass, Catrin
Westphal. Pollen and landscape diversity as well as wax moth
depredation determine reproductive success of bumblebees in
agricultural landscapes.

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2022; 326: 107788 DOI:
10.1016/ j.agee.2021.107788 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220121124851.htm

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