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1 June 2012 Response of Wild Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) to Surrounding Land Cover in Wisconsin Pickling Cucumber
D. M. Lowenstein, A. S. Huseth, R. L. Groves
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Abstract

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is among the plants highly dependent on insectmediated pollination, but little is known about its unmanaged pollinators. Both domestic and wild bee populations in central Wisconsin pickling cucumber fields were assessed using a combination of pan trapping and floral observations before and during bloom. Together with land cover analyses extending 2,000 m from field centers, the relationship of land cover components and bee abundance and diversity were examined. Over a 2-yr sample interval distributed among 18 experimental sites, 3,185 wild bees were collected representing >60 species. A positive association was found between both noncrop and herbaceous areas with bee abundance and diversity only during bloom. Response of bee abundance and diversity to land cover was strongest at larger buffers presumably because of the heterogeneous nature of the landscape and connectivity between crop and noncrop areas. These results are consistent with previous research that has found a weak response of wild bees to surrounding vegetation in moderately fragmented areas. A diverse community of wild bees is present within the fields of a commercial cucumber system, and there is evidence of floral visitation by unmanaged bees. This evidence emphasizes the importance of wild pollinators in fragmented landscapes and the need for additional research to investigate the effectiveness of individual species in pollen deposition.

© 2012 Entomological Society of America
D. M. Lowenstein, A. S. Huseth, and R. L. Groves "Response of Wild Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) to Surrounding Land Cover in Wisconsin Pickling Cucumber," Environmental Entomology 41(3), 532-540, (1 June 2012). https://doi.org/10.1603/EN11241
Received: 26 September 2011; Accepted: 1 February 2012; Published: 1 June 2012
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KEYWORDS
cucumber
pan trapping
wild bees
Wisconsin
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