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Seasonal variation in exploitative competition between honeybees and bumblebees.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Wignall, Veronica R  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9411-1198
Campbell Harry, Isabella 
Davies, Natasha L 
Kenny, Stephen D 
McMinn, Jack K 

Abstract

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees (Bombus spp.) often undergo exploitative competition for shared floral resources, which can alter their foraging behaviour and flower choice, even causing competitive exclusion. This may be strongest in summer, when foraging conditions are most challenging for bees, compared to other times of the year. However, the seasonal dynamics of competition between these major pollinator groups are not well understood. Here, we investigate whether the strength of exploitative competition for nectar between honeybees and bumblebees varies seasonally, and whether competitive pressure is greatest in summer months. We carried out experimental bee exclusion trials from May to late September, using experimental patches of lavender, variety Grosso, in full bloom. In each trial, we compared the numbers of honeybees (HB) foraging on patches from which bumblebees had been manually excluded (bumblebee excluded, BBE) versus control (CON) patches, HB(BBE-CON). This measure of exploitative competition varied significantly with season. As expected, mean HB(BBE-CON) was significantly greater in summer trials than in spring or autumn trials. This was despite high nectar standing crop volumes in BBE patch flowers in spring and autumn trials. Mean HB(BBE-CON) was not different between spring and autumn trials. Our results show that nectar competition between honeybees and bumblebees varies seasonally and is stronger in summer than spring or autumn, adding to current understanding of the seasonality of resource demand and competition between bee species. This information may also help to inform conservation programs aiming to increase floral resources for bees by showing when these resources are most needed.

Description

Funder: University of Sussex


Funder: Charles Brian British Beekeepers Research Trust

Keywords

Bees, Competitive exclusion, Ecology, Resource availability, Seasonality, Animals, Bees, Climate, Feeding Behavior, Flowers, Plant Nectar, Seasons

Journal Title

Oecologia

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0029-8549
1432-1939

Volume Title

192

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC