There are both positive and negative interactions which exist between native (wild) pollinators and the honey bees (Apis mellifera). Mason bees and bumblebees are the main wild pollinators of the LFSOG and the surrounding area. Other pollinators include beetles, butterflies, flies, moths, and wasps1; however, limited research on the impact of introduced honey bees makes it difficult to plainly state how native pollinators will be affected by the addition of a second honey bee hive at the LFSOG.
A picture of a mason bee. Retrieved from https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4015/4627087751_bd5ba1e258_z.jpg
Positive interaction
It has been found that the presence of native pollinators nearly doubled honey bee pollination services on an average field due to behavioural interactions between native pollinators and honey bees, which consequently increases pollination efficiency2. After interacting with a wild bee on a male flower, 20% of honey bees moved to a female sunflower, whereas only 7% switched after interacting with another honey bee; therefore, honey bees are three times more likely to move from a male to a female sunflower after interacting with a wild bee rather than another honey bee2. When wild bees are rare, honey bee pollination produced three seeds per single visit on average, but honey bee pollination efficiency increased strongly with wild bee abundance, producing up to 15 seeds per visit on average<2. This research is centered around hybrid sunflower production (suggested by Anelyse Weiler of the UBC Farm), however this information is useful in which it could be applicable to other crops grown at the LFSOG. Moreover, honey bees were observed with more sunflower pollen on their bodies in the fields where the wild bees were more abundant, which further strengthens the suggestion that the presence of wild bees enhances the pollination efficiency of honey bees<2. In addition to the mere presence of native bees, the richness of native species is important; behavioural differences result in each species pollinating different flower species2.
Regardless of the interactions between the honey bees and wild species, native pollinators are generally positively impacted from the presence of an agroecosystem3. Examples of benefits to native pollinators include habitat for ground-nesting bees that use disturbed areas for nesting, and the possibility that the new agroecosystem provides greater diversity, continuity and/or abundance of floral resources compared to the original habitat3. Most conventional farms do not exemplify increased diversity or continuity of habitat, but the LFSOG can model these characteristics. Ultimately, the farmer must know about the native pollinators’ resources and life-history to ensure that the interaction between the honey bees and the native pollinators remains positive3.
Negative interaction
The interaction between honey bees in an an agroecosystem and native pollinators can also have negative results. Case studies carried out on four continents reveal that agricultural intensification jeopardizes wild bee communities, and the stabilizing effect they have on pollination services at the landscape scale3. Honey bees are versatile and have become a convenient method of pollination, but for some crops they are not the most effective pollinators on a per flower basis2. They are not, for example, able to practice “buzz pollination”, which is commonly carried out by bumblebees and is essential to pollinate most Solanaceae crops, blueberries, watermelon, and cranberry4. Moreover, unlike the orchard mason bee, Apis mellifera do not fly at low temperatures, so they are inefficient pollinators of early spring crops such as the first apple bloom.
A bumblebee on buckwheat flowers. Retrieved from https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3082/3341987848_353728dbbe.jpg
As the numbers of managed honey bee colonies decline in many parts of the world due to the spread of pests, parasitic mites, microsporian parasites such as Nosema ceranae, improper use of pesticides and herbicides, an ageing beekeeper population, and lower market prices for honey bee products, it is increasingly important that we are aware of the impact honey bee hives have on native pollinators3.
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