[Pollinator] FW: [GRAYMAIL] Fwd: Bee hotels may not be that good

[lkuder at umd.edu]

Hi Peter,

 

I’m interested in pursuing this topic as well but so far have found few examples in the literature.

 

Attached are two techniques that have had some success. One is the creation of scrapes or mini bays and the other involves the formation of sand dunes. I am in the process of experimenting with adobe nesting blocks for anthophorine bees, similar to those used by Suzanne Batra. Perhaps in a few months I too will have positive results to share.

 

Hope these serve as inspiration,

 

Lisa Kuder

University of MD

 

From: Pollinator [mailto:pollinator-bounces+lkuder=umd.edu at lists.sonic.net] On Behalf Of Peter Bernhardt
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 2015 11:19 AM
To: Hank
Cc: Pollinator Listserv
Subject: Re: [Pollinator] [GRAYMAIL] Fwd: Bee hotels may not be that good

 

Good.  I think this question hits the nail on the head and should be open to two lines of discussion.

 

1) Since most North American bees are ground nesters can someone provided information or literature on constructing sites that are friendly to nesting females?  Should we be conserving old, stone walls, boulder piles, sand pits and how do we make our own?

 

2) Here is the most difficult question.  Has anyone access to dependable research how many honeybee hives can be placed in a particular site without stressing the native pollinators?  Yes this is a very touchy subject and I don't want to open old wounds.  Due to the eusocial system and huge populations of workers in hives older literature (from Australia) tends to show how adept they are at draining native nectar resources and collecting pollen.  We've no evidence that commercial honeybee hives cause local extinctions of other species, do we?  We seem to have some evidence (from Panama) that, as hive numbers go up, the population densities of native nectar foragers can go down.  

 

Peter

 

On Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 8:07 AM, Hank <acorn at treenuts.ca> wrote:

Our local beekeepers here in Ottawa Canada want to help wild pollinators, too. Since 'bee hotels’ are not good, what can these folks do, if anything, to make the pollinator world better while still getting their honey and beeswax? Hank

 

On Mar 29, 2015, at 2:22 PM, Peter Bernhardt <bernhap2 at slu.edu> wrote:

 

A colleague sent the attached this morning.  You may find this of interest. In the past, I have found the research of Dr Packer very dependable. 

 

Peter Bernhardt

 

-- 

Gerardo R Camilo, Ph.D.
Assoc. Professor of Biology

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

   & International Studies
Conservation Fellow, St. Louis Zoo

 

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