Pollinators Sharing Their Environs – The Roles of Stressors in Bee Health

This presentation will present data from a three-year study that examined the interactions among honey bees, bumble bees, and solitary bees, to ask the question how a honey bee apiary impacts native bees.

In cage experiments with limited forage, competition was generated among the three types of bees to ask about impacts on reproduction and interaction on flowers.  In the Bear River mountains of Utah in forest lands and private ranches, experiments were crafted to ask how an apiary with 48 colonies would impact the reproduction of sentinel bumble bee colonies and a solitary bee that nests in cavities.  In addition, the endemic native bees and flowers were monitored.  Samples were also collected to assess viral pathogens and their impacts on the bees.

Additional data will be presented from the thesis of Dr. Mary-Kate Williams (a doctoral student co-advised by Cox-Foster) on the impacts of viral pathogens in the blue-orchard bee (Osmia lignaria).   For the field studies, climate was found to have a major impact.  Conclusions will be presented on how the carrying capacity of an area is very important and how multiple factors affect this for bees.

Diana Cox-Foster is a Research Leader and Entomologist at USDA-ARS Pollinating Insects Research Unit (PIRU) in Logan, Utah. PIRU focuses on biology, management, and systematics of all bee species. Stakeholders include bee keepers, bee managers, growers who use Apis and non-Apis bees for pollination, and land managers of natural ecosystems. PIRU has the U.S. National Pollinating Insect Collection, with research on conservation of bee biodiversity. Cox-Foster examines the impact of pathogens and pesticides on bee health, for honey bees, bumble bees, and solitary bees. Cox-Foster received a B. S. in Entomology and Zoology at Colorado State University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Entomology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Cox-Foster gained skills in molecular biology as a post-doc at Vanderbilt University. In 1987, Cox-Foster joined Penn State University as a faculty member and served as a full professor. At PSU, Cox-Foster was one of the initial scientists responding to colony collapse disorder in honey bees and co-director of the CCD working team. She transitioned to USDA-ARS in October 2015.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS MEETING IS IN PERSON AND OUR SPEAKER WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.  There is not an option for participants to join virtually.  Please join us at 7 PM to allow time to socialize and chat with other members of the club.  Our speaker presentation will begin at 7:30 PM.

If you are unable to join us, club members will be able to view this and past monthly meeting recordings in the Members Only portion of the website under BYBA Presentations.