Evaluation of the Utility of Adding Artificial Bumble Bee Nesting Sites to Increase Pollination Services in a Small Farm Environment

Evaluation of the Utility of Adding Artificial Bumble Bee Nesting Sites to Increase Pollination Services in a Small Farm Environment

Summary

The first of two trials has begun. Artificial nests have been constructed for the first year’s trial and an experimental design has been implemented to determine the most suitable design to use in an inundative trial next year. A total of 96 nest boxes have been constructed and placed into field trials at two locations. Bi-weekly checks for bumble bee occupancy will begin April 1, and concurrent surveys will be conducted to determine bumble bee populations on site and crop blooms that may benefit from bumble bee pollination. At the end of this season (October-November), there should be data to determine the best design, and this will be implemented in a large-scale trial in 2013.

Objectives/Performance Targets

• Nest box design Site and plot assessment and determination Treatment and replication design

• Obtain materials Construct boxes

• Set up trials by the end of March

• Begin bi-weekly checks beginning in April

Accomplishments/Milestones

• Nest box design- The design of Welland (1995) was chosen and determined to be an efficient, basic design. Feet were also added to the design to help improve airflow and control moisture (Hobbs 1967). At the suggestion of the proposal reviewers, it was decided that artificial nests would be implemented for two years. The boxes used for the first year’s trial will also be used to determine the best nest design, which will then be implemented in the inundative trial in year two. Because the literature on natural nests mentions that many bumble bee nests have long entrances (Plath 1922; Donovan and Wier 1978), it was decided that one treatment would include boxes with buried hoses for entrance tunnels and the other treatment would just have a hole as the entrance. Two types of insulation materials, cotton insulation and bamboo-rayon-poly fiber, are also being trialed. Site and assessment and plot determination- Two sites were chosen to trial the best box design. Site one is the University of Arkansas farm in Fayetteville, AR; site two is a 20-acre family farm in Elm Springs, AR. On site one, three replicate plots were chosen: two located near the edge of pine woods, with one adjacent to a plum and apple orchard, and one located in an open area next to a field that will be planted with cotton. On site two, three replicate plots were also chosen- all in open areas adjacent to crop fields. The adjacent crops will rotate throughout the season, but include beans, greens, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and pumpkins. Treatment and replication design- Because the boxes will be laid out in groups, it was decided that orientation may be an issue upon occupancy. Four symbols were chosen to help differentiate the boxes from one another: 1) circle, 2) square, 3) triangle and 4) no symbol. This added a sort of blocking factor to the design, and thus 16 boxes were necessary for each replicate. The primary factors are 1) Entrance type: A hose or B hole, 2) Insulation type: A cotton or B bamboo-poly, 3) Orientation symbol: A none, B circle, C square or D triangle and 4) Cardinal direction: A North, B South, C East or D West.

• Obtain materials- 1) Cotton insulation: 16 in. x 48 in., UltraTouch Denim Insulation Multi-Purpose Roll, Model 60301-16482. One roll is enough to supply about 30 boxes. 2) Bamboo-poly fiber: Nature-fil Eco-friendly Bamboo rayon/polyester blend fiber filling 12 oz bag, # 096489. One roll is enough to supply about 30 boxes. 3) Entrance tunnels: CARLON 10 Ft. Blue Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing, CARLON 10 Ft. Blue Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing, Model #: 12005-UPC. One length is enough to supply 5 boxes. Construct boxes- A total of 96 boxes were constructed and assigned to treatment factors outlined above. Each box has been given a numeric code and databased with its associated factors.

• Set up trials by the end of March- At each site, 48 boxes were installed. Each box has been given a numeric code and databased with its associated factors.

• Begin bi-weekly checks beginning in April

• Donovan, B. J., and S. S. Wier. 1978. Development of Hives for Field Population Increase, and Studies on the Life Cycles of the four Species of Introduced Bumble Bees in New Zealand New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 21: 733-756. Hobbs, G. A. 1967. Obtaining and protecting red-clover pollinating species of Bombus (Hymenoptera- Apidae) Canadian Entomologist 99: 943-951. Plath, O. E. 1922. Notes on the Nesting Habits of Several North American Bumblebees. Psyche 29: 189-202. Welland, R. 1995. Bumblebees (Bombus) nests for outside use. B.C. Fruit Testers Association 8: 13-14.

• Artifical bumble bee nests installed in the field for trial one.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

None yet. The trial has just begun.

Collaborators: