Journal ArticleDOI
Seasonal phenology and abundance of early-, mid- and long-season bumble bees in southern England, 1985–1989
TLDR
The period between the emergence of queens and of their workers and males was on a progressive scale, from species maturing early to those maturing in mid-season, consistent with the increasing lengths of their colony cycles.Abstract:
SUMMARYThe seasonal phenology of six Bombus species and four Psithyrus species is given for a site to the west of London, UK, for five years from 1985 to 1989. The emergence in spring of Bombus spp. queens was linked to periods with air temperatures above 11°C. During the five-year survey a mean maximum temperature of 12.1°C occurred during the week of initial oviposition, an increase of 1.9°C from the week preceding ovipositon. The colonies of Bombus spp. matured at different times: early-season during June, mid-season in early August and late-season in August or early September. The period between the emergence of queens and of their workers and males was on a progressive scale, from species maturing early to those maturing in mid-season. This is consistent with the increasing lengths of their colony cycles. Workers and males of the long-season bumble bees emerged in a shorter period than those of the mid-season species. When profiles for the three groups are shown separately they show a regular outline...read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Causes of rarity in bumblebees
TL;DR: Overall, Fabaceae appear to be the major pollen source for most bumblebee species, but long-tongued, late emerging species such as Bombus ruderatus, Bombus humilis and Bombus subterraneus specialize heavily in gathering pollen from Fabaceae, and this group of bumblebees species have all declined.
Journal ArticleDOI
Food for Pollinators: Quantifying the Nectar and Pollen Resources of Urban Flower Meadows
Damien M. Hicks,Pierre Ouvrard,Pierre Ouvrard,Katherine C. R. Baldock,Mathilde Baude,Mathilde Baude,Mark A. Goddard,William E. Kunin,Nadine Mitschunas,Nadine Mitschunas,Jane Memmott,Helen Morse,Maria Nikolitsi,Lynne M. Osgathorpe,Simon G. Potts,Kirsty M. Robertson,Anna V. Scott,Frazer Sinclair,Frazer Sinclair,Duncan B. Westbury,Graham N. Stone +20 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used quantitative surveys of over 2 million flowers to estimate the nectar and pollen resources offered by two exemplar commercial seed mixes (one annual, one perennial) and associated weeds grown as 300m2 meadows across four UK cities, sampled at six time points between May and September 2013.
Journal ArticleDOI
Niche overlap and diet breadth in bumblebees; are rare species more specialized in their choice of flowers?
Dave Goulson,Ben Darvill +1 more
TL;DR: It is suggested that the rare species of bumblebees may be those with short colony cycles, in which dependence on high quality food to rear larvae quickly forces specialization.
Journal ArticleDOI
Assessing the exposure and toxicity of pesticides to bumblebees (Bombus sp.)
TL;DR: There is a need to protect foraging bumblebees from direct overspray in the early morning and late evening when pesticides which are repellent but highly toxic are applied, i.e. pyrethroids.
Journal ArticleDOI
Extrapolating from Honeybees to Bumblebees in Pesticide Risk Assessment
Helen M. Thompson,Lynn V. Hunt +1 more
TL;DR: The differences in the potential risk posed by pesticides to bumblebees from that of honeybees are highlighted based on their exposure through use of crops and flowering weeds and on available data on toxicity of pesticides.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Development and reproductive strategies in Bombus terrestris colonies
TL;DR: The development and the reproductive output of 26 Bombus terrestris colonies were investigated and the loss of dominance by the queen was expressed by the beginning of aggression on the part of queen and workers, worker oviposition, oophagy and the functional elimination of the queen.
Journal Article
Studies on methods of censusing the numbers of bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea).
Journal ArticleDOI
Observations on Phacelia tanacetifolia Bentham (Hydrophyllaceae) as a food plant for honey bees and bumble bees
Ingrid H. Williams,D G Christian +1 more
TL;DR: To assess the value of Phacelia tanacetifolia Bentham as a food plant for bees, observations were made on the phenology of flowering of plots sown on different dates in south-eastern England, and on thephenology, density, diel periodicity and behaviour of bees that foraged on them.