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Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

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Student Competition

Grad Poster Competition: SysEB, Ecology and Behavior

D3145: Foraging and nesting activity of bees and other pollinators during a total lunar eclipse

Monday, November 11, 2024
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 6, PCC
Poster Display Student Competition
Solar eclipses are known to impact animal behavior, but due to the rarity of this astronomical phenomenon, information regarding its effects on insects is limited. Here, we document the behavioral responses of foraging bees, flies, and butterflies during the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, in Lawrence, Kansas, USA, which experienced an 88.3% totality. Additionally, we monitored the nesting and male patrolling behavior of the cellophane bee Colletes inaequalis Say (Colletidae), a solitary, ground-nesting, spring bee. We conducted observations every 30 min for 5 minutes, from 11:00 h to 16:00 h, recording insect activity before, during, and after the solar eclipse. For all groups of pollinators, foraging activity ceased during the totality phase of the eclipse, notably increasing within the next 30 min (44.3% sun coverage). Focal observations during this totality phase showed that honey bees were actively searching for nectar or pollen, unlike cellophane and sweat bees that appeared lethargic on flowers. The ambient air temperature dropped by 10 °C during the eclipse and was significantly associated with solar radiation. However, only the latter predicted pollinators’ foraging activity. We observed a similar pattern at the nesting site of C. inaequalis. Our observations indicate that pollinator foraging can be significantly impacted by an eclipse before total darkness and that this response might differ among species of bees.