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The “Faithfulness” Of Honey Bees as Pollinators Of Red Clover

The “Faithfulness” Of Honey Bees as Pollinators Of Red Clover. Sarah Maxfield-Taylor Oregon State University Summer REU Program For Pollination Biology. Presentation Outline. Are honey bees ( Apis mellifera L.) “faithful” pollinators of red clover? • Red clover crop production

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The “Faithfulness” Of Honey Bees as Pollinators Of Red Clover

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  1. The “Faithfulness” Of Honey Bees as Pollinators Of Red Clover Sarah Maxfield-Taylor Oregon State University Summer REU Program For Pollination Biology

  2. Presentation Outline Are honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) “faithful” pollinators of red clover? • Red clover crop production • Pollen sampling • Pollen identification • Future research topics

  3. Oregon Clover Seed Production 32,000 Acres Of Clover (2,000 Acres of red clover) • Forage crop grown for livestock • Rotation crop

  4. Bumble bees are not a commercial option in Oregon. What is the cost of using honey bees to pollinate red clover?..... • $55/hive rental fee • Minimum of 1 hive/2 acres (2/acre avg.) • Mixed pollination results Are the services they provide worth the cost? Pollination as a limiting factor

  5. Methods Pollen Collection •Red clover field sites in the Willamette Valley • Samples were taken with a Sundance pollen trap Pollen analysis • Samples separated out by color • Scanning Electron Microscope analysis • Reference plant collection

  6. Results • Change in pollen color throughout season • Plant families identified

  7. HAMILTON Honey bee pollen loads collected from all three sites 7-13-09 7-21-09 7-28-09 8-03-09 8-11-09 KENNEL 7-13-09 7-21-09 7-28-09 8-03-09 8-11-09 SIMPSON 7-13-09 7-21-09 7-28-09 8-03-09 8-11-09 7-13-09 7-21-09 7-28-09 8-03-09 8-11-09 Early Bloom Bloom Peak Late Bloom Bloom End

  8. Bull Thistle Cirsium vulgare Canada Thistle Cirsium arvense False Dandelion Hypochoeris radicata Prickly Lettuce Lactuca sernola Common Mallow Malva neglecta Stinking Mayweed Anthemis cotula Queen Anne’s Lace Daucus carota Morning Glory Convulvulus arvensis Teasel Dipsacus fullonum

  9. Field Mustard Brassica campestris Wind Flower Epilobium ciliatum Sharp point fluvellin Kickxia elatine Saint Johns Wart Hypericum perforatum Sweat Pea Lathyrus latifolia Tansy Ragwort Senecio jacobaea Red Clover Trifolium pratense Arrowleaf Clover Trifolium vesiulosum savi

  10. A single pollen load collected 7-13-09 from the Hamilton site Red Clover Trifolium pratense ? False Dandelion Hypochoeris radicata

  11. A second pollen load collected 7-13-09 from the Hamilton site ? Unknown Asteraceae Red Clover Trifolium pratense Arrowleaf Clover Trifolium vesiulosum Saint Johns Wart Hypericum perforatum False Dandelion Hypochoeris radicata

  12. A third pollen load collected 7-21-09 from the Hamilton site Dandelion ? False Dandelion Hypochoeris radicata Red Clover Trifolium pratense

  13. A single pollen load collected 7-21-09 from the Kennel site Red Clover Trifolium pratense

  14. Conclusion • Foraging behavior changes throughout the season • Honey bees are visiting red clover • Honey bees are visiting non-crop species • Additional pollen identification needed

  15. Future Reseach • Continuation of pollen analysis • Acetolyosis • Reference collection

  16. Acknowledgements • My fellow REU student researchers • Sujaya Rao, Andy Moldenke, Sandy DeBano, Bill Steven, Jeff Miller, and all those involved with O.S.U.’s Pollination Biology REU • Terresa Sawyer at O.S.U’s S.E.M. laboratory • Lynn Royce-Mite Bee Farms • Chiho Kimoto, Kimberly Skyrm, Julie Kirby, and Toni Taylor • The NSF • HHMI Thank you all

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