Can You Bee-lieve it? The Intertegular Span of Bees

Abstract

Bees are an important part of our ecosystem. They pollinate 4 out of 10 bites of food that we consume. While we use honeybees to pollinate some crops, native bees provide adequate pollination for many crops and native plant species. Native bees include ground dwelling bees as well as twig nesting and cavity nesting bees. Rising concerns over the declining bee populations have scientists looking for the reasons behind the decline. While solid answers have not yet been found, several possible explanations are being researched. Habitat loss along with the increase in pesticide usage and the increasing number of parasites and harmful pathogens are three of many factors related to bee declines that scientists are looking into. This study focuses on the effects of invasive plant cover on native bees. We evaluated if the intertegular spans of 1) the overall bee communities and 2) the individual bee species varied with invasive plant cover. By studying the affect invasive plant species, specifically Kochia scoparia and Salsola tragus, have on native bees, we will add to the current research behind why the bees are disappearing. While the data collection is still in progress, differences between large-bodied bee species and small-bodied bee species have been observed. This data suggests that the level of invasive plant cover affects larger-bodied bee species less than smaller-bodied bee species.