Evidence of Pollinators Foraging on Centipedegrass Inflorescences

Abstract

Turfgrasses are commonly used for lawns and as recreational surfaces in the USA. Because grasses are largely wind-pollinated, it was thought that pollinators would not forage on turfgrasses. Centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack) is a warm-season turfgrass widely used in the southeastern USA. Centipede grass produces spike-like inflorescences from August to October, and little is known about whether pollinators utilize those inflorescences as pollen resources. Thus, the objective of the current study was to identify the pollinators foraging on centipede grass inflorescences. Pollinator samples were collected by (1) sweeping the insects actively foraging on centipede grass inflorescence for 30 min, (2) deploying pan traps for 24 h and (3) deploying malaise traps for 7 d. In the sweep samples, Lasioglossum spp., Bombus spp., Apis spp., Melissodes spp. and Augochlorella spp. were collected from centipede grass inflorescences. Syrphid flies were also collected in the sweep samples. The pan and malaise traps collected mostly Lasioglossum spp. The results imply that there is a critical need to conserve bee habitats and adopt nondisruptive lawn practices. Additionally, this new knowledge lays the foundation for future research to enhance our understanding of bee and syrphid behavior and the selection of host traits for improving bee foraging.

Temporal Occurrence, Abundance, and Biodiversity of Bees on Weed-Infested Turfgrass

“…The current study showed that mowing operations with at least a 14-day interval were sufficient to support fresh floral resources, including white clover, and to attract pollinators. On centipedegrass and bahiagrass, a 14 d mowing gap allowed enough time for the emergence of new spikelets to be available for foraging bees [11,12]. White clover is known to disappear from grassy weed areas over several years [34]; thus, reseeding with white clover is recommended [35].…”

“…However, recent studies showed that different bees visit turfgrass environments [9]. Bees forage on the spikelets of centipedegrass [10,11] and bahiagrass lawns [12]. When allowed to grow out, turfgrass naturally hosts a diverse group of flowering plants, which are mostly referred to as weeds, such as white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber) in the southeastern US [13,14].…”

Insect Feeding on Sorghum bicolor Pollen and Hymenoptera Attraction to Aphid-Produced Honeydew

“…However, pollinators collect pollen from many grasses, including row crops and turfgrasses. In particular, bees and syrphid flies, have been documented collecting pollen from at least 99 grass species [7,9]. Additionally, many insects including Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae, honeybee), Spatunomia spp., Patellapis (Zonalictus) sp., Lipotriches sp., Nomia (Acunomia) sp., and Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) sp.…”