Pollen on bees&

Bees on

Flowers

—

Dave Roubik, Enrique Moreno (STRI),Rogel Villanueva (ECOSUR)

YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING UNTIL YOU’VE LOOKED THROUGH A MICROSCOPE

Genipa

Hedyosmum

comp

bignone

Serjania

Paulinnia

Scheelea

Zea

Croton

Acacia

Borreria CordiaAegiphila

CecropiaSyzygium

These are common ‘Apis flowers’

Afr ica n h on eyb ee P la n t s

0 %

2 5 %

5 0 %

7 5 %

1 0 0 %

French Guiana French Guiana French Guiana AFRICA mean

(Neotropics)

Pe

rce

nt

Re

co

rd

ed

Ta

xa

Herbs, GrassesHerbs, GrassesHerbs, GrassesHerbs, Grasses ShrubsShrubsShrubsShrubs TreesTreesTreesTrees Vines, Epis.Vines, Epis.Vines, Epis.Vines, Epis.

Afr ica n h on eyb ee P h ylet ic F lor a

0 %

2 5 %

5 0 %

7 5 %

1 0 0 %

French

Guiana

Bolivian

Amazon

Panama Mexico Venezuela mean

Pe

rce

nt R

eco

rd

ed

Ta

xa

Rosids Asterids Gym, Mag Mono, Commel

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve trap-nestin’

Megachilids

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Sap

otac

eae

Faba

ceae

Rubia

ceae

Euph

orb

ia...

Anac

ardia

...

Plant Family

Proportional

pollen use

1 species (essentially), 17 years

Centris pollen

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Sapota

ceae

Mal

pighia

ceae

Fabac

eae

Anac

ardia

ceae

Euphorbia

ceaeP

rop

ort

ion

al

po

lle

n

us

ePRE-Apis

POST-Apis

The Devil is in the Details

Hint: Compare 1991 & 2001.

Question: Is this a ‘win-win’ situation?

1. In nature, competing bees feed each other.

2. Native bees may react to introduced

Apis by switching their forage, and may even gain food resources via Apis.

3. Honey bees are truly generalists which in fact specialize.

4. Competitors of Apis, if not given diverse

alternative resources (non-rosids e.g.) are likely to be at risk.