Exotic bees dominate bee hotels in urban forest fragments

Monday, November 11, 2024

10:54 AM – 11:06 AM MST

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 222 C, PCC

Presenting Author(s)

ME

Miriam Edelkind-Vealey

Graduate Research Assistant
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

Co-Author(s)

SB

S. Kristine Braman

Professor and Department Head
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
MU

Michael Ulyshen

Research Entomologist
USDA-Forest Service
Athens, Georgia
KO

Kerry M. Oliver

University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
JW

John Wares

University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

Bee hotels are often lauded as conservation tools used to spark public interest in pollinator conservation. However, they have inconsistent success with hosting native cavity-nesting bee species in urban areas. Instead, they seem to provide nesting substrates for opportunistic exotic bees species. Here, we placed bee hotels at the interior and edge of eight urban forest fragments to document wild cavity-nesting bee nesting ecology. We demonstrate that bee hotels are primarily occupied by two exotic bee species, Osmia taurus and Megachile sculpturalis. Osmia taurus creates early-season nests capped with mud, where brood overwinter as adults in their coccoons. Megachile sculpturalis is a late-season nesting species which constructs nests with tree resin, tree bark pieces, and mud. M. sculpturalis brood overwinters as larvae. We also documented a parasitoid wasp species in the genus Melittobia utilizing M. sculpturalis as their host. While urban forests serve as refuge for many native bee species, they also harbor exotic bees that have undetermined consequences on native pollinators and pollination ecology.