The bees of Africa. The bees of Wales.
After last week’s issue of the Bee Report, I was curious to see what the broad community of bees in Africa looks like. A quick search on iNaturalist returned a list of 157 species. With 2,755 bee species recorded in sub-Saharan Africa, this list is clearly incomplete. However, it’s a beautiful introduction nonetheless. A few of the African bees that caught my eye:
• Alluaud’s Digger which appears to be found only on the Canary Islands.
• The Histrionic Cloak-and-Dagger cuckoo bee which also appears to be predominantly found on the Canary Islands – along with a single observation on the coast of Algeria.
• The glowing carpenter bee which appears to only be found in Madagascar.
Also after last week, I need to acknowledge a lack of clarity on my part. The way I wrote about Wales and its 190 bees suggested that Wales is an island unto itself. It is not. Wales is a country that shares an island with England and Scotland. Mae’n ddrwg gen i. If you’re curious to see what the Welsh bee community looks like, here’s another incomplete list from iNaturalist to get you started.
The Bees of Grand Staircase-Escalante has been selected for the 44th International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula, MT, April 17 - May 15. I am absolutely thrilled to have our project be part of the longest-running film festival of its kind!
Conservation
Pioneering research reveals gardens are secret powerhouse for pollinators
(EurekAlert, University of Bristol) A recent study measured how much nectar is produced in urban areas and discovered residential gardens accounted for the vast majority – 85% on average.
Has the great yellow bumble bee ever been recorded in Denmark?
(Twitter, Prof. Jeff Ollerton @JeffOllerton) “Looking at the GBIF data for Great Yellow Bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus) and I'm struck by the complete absence of records from Denmark. Has it really never been recorded there?”
(Twitter, Lynn Dicks @LynnDicks) “For those attending my lectures on biodiversity data and responses to global change later this term, here's a great example of the challenges. Global dataset shows Great Yellow Bumblebees are absent from Denmark. Wrong. Missing due to data governance issues......”
Science
Caffeine reduces infection in bumble bees
(Twitter, Leif Richardson @leifr7) “Naturally occurring nectar caffeine reduces bumble bee pathogen infection” The original paper.
(Twitter, Lars Chittka @LChittka) “New paper... about the remarkable discovery... that #bumblebees have an appreciation of their own individual body dimensions” The original paper.
Honey bees cheat on their ‘math tests’
(Inverse) A new study found that while honey bees are capable of using numerical strategies on cognitive tests, they actually often deploy continuous (non-numerical) clues to “cheat” on these tests. “Our study provides information on which cues and strategies bees used to solve a numeric-based task.”
Parasite hijacks iron in honey bees
(USDA ARS) An Agricultural Research Service entomologist has discovered the Nosema ceranae parasite that causes major problems and death in honey bees works by hijacking its host’s iron for itself.
Research shows worker honey bees can smell varroa mites
(New Zealand Herald) Honey bees’ sense of smell gives them a fighting chance against the deadly varroa mite.
Rapid evolution may help species adapt to climate change and competition
(Washington State University) Loss of biodiversity in the face of climate change is a growing worldwide concern. Another major factor driving the loss of biodiversity is the establishment of invasive species, which often displace native species. A new study shows that species can adapt rapidly to an invader and that this evolutionary change can affect how they deal with a stressful climate.
Society/Culture
Historians expose early scientists’ debt to the slave trade
(Science) At the dawn of the 1700s, European science seemed poised to conquer all of nature. Isaac Newton had recently published his monumental theory of gravity. Telescopes were opening up the heavens to study, and Robert Hooke and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek's microscopes were doing the same for the miniature world. Fantastic new plants and animals were pouring in from Asia and the Americas. But one of the most important scientists alive then was someone few people have ever heard of, an apothecary and naturalist named James Petiver. And he was important for a startling reason: He had good connections within the slave trade.
Coneflower, loved by bees and butterflies, is put on trial
(Boston.com) The coneflower aligns itself perfectly with modern gardening sensibilities: It is native, tough, and long-blooming, and it sustains butterflies and bees. By late summer, the seed heads draw goldfinches. It stays decorative even in its faded state. What’s the catch?
One More Thing…
“China has the richest bumblebee diversity in the world, here is just a small portion of our 2020 collections. In contrast to their stunning coloration, their biology and threat status have yet to be studied.” From Li Tian @leebeeeeeee via Twitter.