[Pollinator] Video of bees foraging on Salix - filmed in England today

[Peter Bernhardt]

Dear Kevin:

I did watch the video but must have missed the sub title on species.  Yes,
I could see honeybees and bumblebees "visiting the catkins" but the
magnification and focus isn't sufficient to confirm which act of foraging
is occurring.  I can't see whether these bees are collecting pollen or
drinking nectar and request better close ups. There's plenty of literature
on bees collecting Salix pollen.  What I'd like to see confirmed, as a
video, are closeups of bees drinking nectar.  As you know. there's a big
difference between irregular probing with the probosces vs. methodical
lapping from floret to floret.  The lighting and magnification on your
video makes this hard to confirm either way.

Peter

On Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 1:05 PM, Kevin Lindegaard <kevin at crops4energy.co.uk>
wrote:

> Peter,
>
> I'm assuming you haven't watched the fim or else you would see that the
> species is Salix aegyptiaca. It's non native from the middle east. I'm no
> bee expert but there are bumble and honey bees on this willow and possibly
> others as well. If they're not feeding I don't know what they're up to.
>
> By the way S. discolor is native to North America.
>
> Kevin Lindegaard.
>
> On Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 6:42 PM, Peter Bernhardt <bernhap2 at slu.edu> wrote:
>
>> Good but would you please provide us with the Salix species and any
>> observation of bees visiting the more cryptic female catkins?  Willows are
>> used as examples of transitions from insect to wind pollination but the
>> hard data isn't terribly convincing.  Some say that some male catkins on
>> some Salix species secrete nectar while others say they don't.  Can you see
>> the workers insert their tongues into the bases of the individual florets?
>> Likewise, I'd really like to see some convincing footage of bees taking
>> nectar(?) on female catkins when the stigmas are receptive to pollen.  Here
>> in America, you can see certain butterflies (like mourning cloaks) coming
>> out of hibernation to forage on male catkins on warm February days.  I've
>> seen them on the European pussy willows (S. discolor?) that have escaped
>> from gardens and are growing wild in wetter areas.
>>
>> Peter Bernhardt
>>
>> On Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 11:57 AM, Kevin Lindegaard <
>> kevin at crops4energy.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> I took this video (
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi5cu5CSHt4&feature=youtu.be) today
>>> (17th Feb) showing several different types of bees foraging on a male
>>> willow plant. Salix species are a valuable source of pollen and nectar for
>>> bees during the late winter/early spring when there are few other abundant
>>> sources available. For more information see:
>>> http://www.crops4energy.co.uk/src-willows-abundant-source-pollen-bees/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
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>>>
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>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>> E-mail:  kevin at crops4energy.co.uk
>>>
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>>
>
>
> --
>
> *Crops for Energy Ltd*
>
> 15 Sylvia Avenue, Knowle, Bristol BS3 5BX
>
> Tel: +44 (0)117 9089057 Mobile: +44 (0)7989 333507
>
>
>
> E-mail:  kevin at crops4energy.co.uk
>
> *www.crops4energy.co.uk <http://www.crops4energy.co.uk/>*
>
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