A bumble bee’s grocery list: Measuring floral resources on the landscape

Monday, November 14, 2022

8:00 AM – 8:12 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 116/117

Presenting Author(s)

JL

Jennifer A. Lipka

MSc Student
The University of British Columbia
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Co-Author(s)

JL

Jennifer A. Lipka

MSc Student
The University of British Columbia
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
JC

Juli Carrillo

Assistant Professor
The University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Native pollinators, like bumble bees (Bombus spp.), supplement commercial pollination and can increase crop yields for growers. To ensure their longevity in these landscapes, bumble bees must have access to sufficient forage throughout their active season. Floral availability is a commonly used metric to assess pollinator habitat quality, but other floral metrics, such as nectar and pollen quality and quantity may better predict bumble bee foraging choice. We examined the relationship between bumble bee foraging choice and the availability of floral resources to determine what floral resource measurements best predict bumble bee choice. We used floral surveys to investigate flower number and size, as well as the pollen and nectar quality and quantity for various flowering species. Additionally, bumble bee pollen was collected from the bee corbicula to assess foraging choice. We used machine learning techniques, coupled with microscopic identification, to quantify pollen grains and identify host plants visited. We hypothesized that specific floral metrics, such as pollen quality (i.e., protein content), would better predict bumble bee foraging choice than overall floral availability (i.e., flower number). This research will provide insight into how floral resource measurements perform to aid in conservation efforts to ensure that bumble bees have access to consistent, reliable, and plentiful forage throughout their active periods, and develop computational entomology methods to quickly assess pollinator foraging choices.