Extent of invasion of Tasmanian native vegetation by the exotic bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Apoidea: Apidae)

Abstract

Observations of the large earth bumblebee, Bombus terrestris (L.), in native vegetation were collated to determine the extent to which this exotic species has invaded Tasmanian native vegetation during the first 9 years after its introduction. The range of B. terrestris now encompasses all of Tasmania's major vegetation types, altitudes from sea level to 1260m a.s.L, and the entire breadth of annual precipitation in the state from more than 3200 mm to less than 600 mm. Observations of workers carrying pollen, together with the presence of large numbers of bumblebees at many localities across this range indicate that colonies are frequently established in native vegetation. Evidence that colonies are often successful was obtained from repeated observations of the species during more than 1 year at particular sites. Unequivocal evidence of colonies was obtained from six National Parks, including four of the five in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA). Indeed, the species has been present in the WHA for at least as long as it has in the city of Hobart, where it was first recorded. In southwestern Tasmania, evidence of colonies was obtained up to 40km from gardens, 61 km from small towns and 93 km from large towns. Hence, contrary to previous suggestions, the species is established in the most remote parts of Tasmania and is not dependent on introduced garden plants. Given their strong record of invasion, it is likely that B. terrestris will form feral populations on the mainland of Australia and in many other parts of the world if introduced. Because of their likely negative impacts on native animals and plants, and potential to enhance seed production in weeds, the spread of bumblebees should be avoided.

Invasion success of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, despite a drastic genetic bottleneck

“…They so could easily travel, for example, on board of ocean going vessels for considerable distances. Regardless, the introduced population in Tasmania has now spread over most of the island (Hingston et al, 2002), and the species seems to thrive without any too obvious effects of inbreeding depression (Hingston, 2005).…”

Interspecific Hybridization of the Korean Native Bumblebee Bombus hypocrita sapporoensia and the European Bumblebee B. terrestris

“…In addition, the intraspecific mating rate of B. terrestris was 2.4-fold higher than that of B. h. sapporoensis. In view of the mating ability of B. terrestris, it is probable that B. terrestris will compete significantly with B. h. sapporoensis and could be superior to B. h. sapporoensis in competition for nest sites and food resources (Hingston and McQuillan, 1999;Hingston et al, 2002;Matsumura et al, 2004;Velthuis and van Doorn, 2006). The mating duration in intraspecific and interspecific crosses of B. h. sapporoensis and B. terrestris was also investigated.…”

“…The competitive displacement of native pollinators and the invasion of native vegetation by B. terrestris have already been recorded in Tasmania, Australia (Semmens et al, 1993;McQuillan, 1998, 1999;Hingston et al, 2002). In Israel, there has been a decline in the numbers of honeybees and solitary bees associated with the range expansion of B. terrestris (Dafni and Shimida, 1996).…”

“…terrestris into greenhouses because it is highly invasive (Hingston et al, 2002), could possibly escape from greenhouses, and could have negative effects through competition (Ono and Wada, 1996;Velthuis and van Doorn, 2006;Inoue et al, 2008;Inoue and Yokoyama, 2010), genetic contamination by hybridization (Rhymer and Simberloff, 1996;Ono, 1997;Kanbe et al, 2008) with native bumblebees, or through naturalization (Donovan and Wier 1978;Dafni and Shimida, 1996;Ruz andHerrera 2001, Hingston et al, 2002). The competitive displacement of native pollinators and the invasion of native vegetation by B. terrestris have already been recorded in Tasmania, Australia (Semmens et al, 1993;McQuillan, 1998, 1999;Hingston et al, 2002).…”

Bombus Arısı Hastalık ve Parazitleri

“…Bal arılarına göre daha iri yapılı, yoğun tüylü ve göz alıcı renklere sahip olan bombus arıları bal arılarından sonra hem doğal hem de kültüre alınmış bitkilerin en önemli tozlaştırıcılarıdır. Yaklaşık 250 türü tanımlanan bombus arıları başta Avrupa olmak üzere Asya, Kuzey Afrika ve Amerika'ya kadar geniş bir yayılma alanına sahiptir [2,3,4]. Tozlaşmadaki önemleri yaklaşık yüz yıl önce belirlenen bombus arıları, 25 yıldır da kitlesel olarak üretilmekte ve örtü altı yetiştiricilikte tozlaştırıcı olarak yaygın bir şekilde kullanılmaktadır.…”