The contributions of flower strips to wild bee conservation in agricultural landscapes can be predicted using pollinator habitat suitability models

Sydenham, Markus A. K.; Venter, Zander S.; Eldegard, Katrine; Torvanger, Marianne S.; Nowell, Megan S.; Hansen, Silke; Øverland, John Ingar; Dupont, Yoko L.; Rasmussen, Claus; Skrindo, Astrid B.; Rusch, Graciela M.

doi:10.1002/2688-8319.12283

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 51 publications

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“…A holistic approach that includes regular hive inspections, disease monitoring, and proper hive management practices is essential for maintaining healthy and productive bee colonies [17]. Additionally, promoting biodiversity and providing diverse forage sources can enhance overall colony resilience [41,42,[49][50][51][52]. Nevertheless, the delay in disease transmission facilitated by the buffer zone can provide opportunity and valuable time for beekeepers to plan, prepare, and implement necessary measures to manage bee colonies effectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bee pasture as a buffer against flower-mediated disease transmission

Rabajante

2024

Preprint

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Bees play a crucial role as pollinators in ecosystems, yet they face the risk of flower-mediated diseases that can spread among their communities. Infected bees can inadvertently transmit infective agents, such as microbial spores, to other bee colonies through shared floral resources during foraging. To address this challenge, we propose a solution involving the strategic planting of bee pasture as buffer zones around foraging areas, coupled with the careful placement of beehives to segregate bee colonies. However, this strategy presents dual potential outcomes: the buffer zone could act as a protective barrier, reducing disease transmission; or attract more bees from other colonies, thereby increasing infection risk. Employing mathematical modeling, we explore the intricate dynamics of this strategy to minimize negative outcomes, considering factors such as colony strength, optimal foraging behavior, and foraging area locations. Our results recommend implementing the following measures to safeguard the target bee colony against disease: (i) ensuring ample food sources are available in the vicinity of the target bee colony, and (ii) establishing bee pasture in a distinct, outlying area to serve as a buffer zone. While the bee pasture buffer zone cannot guarantee complete immunity from infection, it can effectively delay the spread of inter-colony diseases. This proposed strategy should be combined with other sound beekeeping practices for comprehensive disease management. Our analysis aims to provide insights into optimizing practices to protect the health of both managed and wild bee populations, and bolster ecological resilience.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bee pasture as a buffer against flower-mediated disease transmission

Rabajante

2024

Preprint

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The contributions of flower strips to wild bee conservation in agricultural landscapes can be predicted using pollinator habitat suitability models

Sydenham,

Venter,

Eldegard

et al. 2023

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Sowing flower strips along field edges is a widely adopted method for conserving pollinating insects in agricultural landscapes. To maximize the effect of flower strips given limited resources, we need spatially explicit tools that can prioritize their placement, and for identifying plant species to include in seed mixtures. We sampled bees and plant species as well as their interactions in a semi‐controlled field experiment with roadside/field edge pairs with/without a sown flower strip at 31 sites in Norway and used a regional spatial model of solitary bee species richness to test if the effect of flower strips on bee species richness was predictable from the modelled solitary bee species richness. We found that sites with flower strips were more bee species rich compared to sites without flower strips and that this effect was greatest in areas that the regional solitary bee species richness model had identified to be particularly important for bees. Spatial models revealed that even within small landscapes there were pronounced differences between field edges in the predicted effect of sowing flower strips. Of the plant species that attracted the most bee species, the majority mainly attracted bumblebees and only few species also attracted solitary bees. Considering both the taxonomic diversity of bees and the species richness of bees attracted by plants we suggest that seed mixes containing Hieracium spp. such as Hieracium umbellatum, Pilosella officinarum, Taraxacum spp., Trifolium repens, Lotus corniculatus, Stellaria graminea and Achillea millefolium would provide resources for diverse bee communities in our region. Spatial prediction models of bee diversity can be used to identify locations where flower strips are likely to have the largest effect and can thereby provide managers with an important tool for prioritizing how funding for agri‐environmental schemes such as flower strips should be allocated. Such flower strips should contain plant species that are attractive to both solitary and bumblebees, and do not need to be particularly plant species rich as long as the selected plants complement each other.

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Seeding roadsides is necessary but not sufficient for restoring native floral communities

Mitchell,

Verhoeven,

Darst

et al. 2024

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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The plant community in roadside right‐of‐ways is an important component of transportation infrastructure. Revegetation after construction is an opportunity to improve the plant community and create pollinator habitat. However, native seed mixes are substantially more expensive than those used in conventional roadside plantings, and transportation agencies often lack resources for management. Here, we compare the actively flowering plant community across a growing season in roadside plots seeded with native seed mixes versus non‐native seed mixes in Minnesota, USA. Plots varied in age from 2 to 20 years old. We demonstrate that native seeded plots had more native flowering forbs than non‐native seeded plots, as native flowers were rare in the non‐native seeded plots. However, despite some native species establishing well, many species in native seed mixes had poor or non‐existent establishment. Furthermore, the native and non‐native seeded plots converged in the makeup of their floral communities after a few years; part of this pattern is due to colonisation of species that were never seeded at either type of plot. Practical implication. If the goal of revegetation is to produce diverse, native dominated floral communities in roadsides, agencies must invest more in long‐term management. Managers could also alter seed mixes to remove species that fail to establish, which would reduce the cost of the seed mix, but not the diversity of the plant community that ultimately establishes. The use of such streamlined seed mixes across more land area would increase the availability of pollinator habitat without substantially altering current budgets or management plans.

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The contributions of flower strips to wild bee conservation in agricultural landscapes can be predicted using pollinator habitat suitability models

Cited by 7 publications

References 51 publications

Bee pasture as a buffer against flower-mediated disease transmission

Bee pasture as a buffer against flower-mediated disease transmission

The contributions of flower strips to wild bee conservation in agricultural landscapes can be predicted using pollinator habitat suitability models

Seeding roadsides is necessary but not sufficient for restoring native floral communities

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