Counting Bees: How Mark-Recapture Methods Can Validate Wild Bee Sampling Protocols
Monitoring wild bee populations is a tricky proposition, with common methods all having inherent biases. A new study uses mark-recapture to get a better picture of how various bee sampling methods measure up.
Do Pollinators Prefer Dense Flower Patches? Sometimes Yes, Sometimes No
A study looking at floral density and pollinators finds that some types of pollinating insects prefer dense flower patches more than others, but that preference can also vary by flower species, too. The complicated findings offer clues to how multiple pollinator species co-exist and compete for floral resources.
In a New Study, Spring Forest Bees Get Their Due
Wild bees that live primarily in forests are an understudied group, but new research sheds light on the ecology of bee species that do much of the spring pollination work in woodlands.
A Tale of Two Pollinators: More Evidence of Neonicotinoids’ Effect on Wild Bees
Separate studies on bumble bees and mason bees exposed to imidacloprid add to the body of evidence that wild bees may be particularly vulnerable to neonicotinoid insecticides.