Observations Of Blue Orchard Bees And Honeybees Pollinating An Almond Orchard Second Edition

Download or read book Observations of Blue Orchard Bees and Honeybees Pollinating an Almond Orchard, Second Edition written by Gerald Bodily and published by . This book was released on 2012-10-13 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This colored photo essay is designed to be read similarly to a National Geographic magazine where a si gnificant portion of the meaning is embedded in pictures and picture labels. When the reader feels compelled, the book provides options for reading beyond the pictures. While the almonds were blooming during February and March of 2011; I collected notes, measurements, and photographs while observing honeybees (HBs) and blue orchard bees (BOBs) in an almond orchard in Turlock, California. The primary intent of this book is to contrast the behavior of HBs and BOBs in an orchard. This essay describes insect and tree events for four key flower bloom stages: pre, early, peak, and late bloom. The BOBs were in the orchard to supplement the effects of the HBs. When one considers that the HB is a social bee and the BOB, a solitary bee; it makes sense that striking differences would be observed in how they live and forage in an orchard. These two insects often behaved as dissimilar as the hare and the tortoise in the fabled race. The HBs were observed devoting long periods of time to transporting pollen into their hives; but they were also observed spending much of the day moving only nectar, and thus accomplishing little pollination during this time. The BOBs maintained a steady flow of pollen into their nests, but were not always available for foraging. This book details how these two very different bees are able to compliment each other's pollinating effects in an almond orchard.