Marcia Wood, ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Photograph Anne K Moore
Would pumpkin pie be as plentiful without the diligent efforts of pumpkin-pollinating bees? Perhaps not.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) entomologist James Cane and his colleagues are discovering more about America's native bees that pollinate pumpkins, other squashes, and gourds. Most of these bees are members of the genus Peponapis or the genus Xenoglossa, according to Cane. He's based at the agency's Pollinating Insects Biology, Management and Systematics Research Unit in Logan, Utah.
Investigations such as those that Cane leads provide new details about the extent to which wild bees can help with pollination. Such help is especially needed in view of the ongoing problems faced by the nation's premier pollinator, the European honey bee, Apis mellifera. Honey bees' current troubles include the puzzling phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder.
Cane has shown, for the first time, that male Peponapis pruinosa play a surprisingly significant role in pollinating the blossoms of yellow summer squash. In the past, less than 10 percent of pollination has been attributed to male bees.
With both male and female bees on the job, fewer bees overall would be needed, according to Cane. That's a plus for growers and beekeepers because it suggests that increasingly scarce, in-demand hives of honey bees could be freed up for work elsewhere.
Simple lust may explain the male squash bee's role in pollinating blooms. Unlike male bees that mainly hunt for females at nest sites, P. pruinosa males seek their mates at flowers. As they fly from one blossom to the next, the bees inadvertently carry grains of pollen--trapped in tiny hairs on their bodies--with them, thus helping ensure that plants have the needed pollen.
ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Posted March 21, 2014
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
Few bulbs are easier to grow than amaryllis-and few bloom with greater exuberance and beauty. But many just toss them at the end of their initial show.
Importantly there are tricks to get them to bloom again. Click here for an informative article about extending the life of amaryllis.
Click here to sign up for our monthly NEWSLETTER packed with great articles and helpful tips for your home, garden and pets!
Would pumpkin pie be as plentiful without the diligent efforts of pumpkin-pollinating bees? Perhaps not.
