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Microclimate Temperatures Impact Nesting Preference in Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Elisabeth Wilson, Claire Murphy, Joseph Rinehart, George Yocum, Julia Bowsher Abstract The temperature of the nest influences fitness in cavity-nesting bees. Females may choose nest cavities that mitigate their offspring’s exposure to stressful temperatures. This study aims to understand how cavity temperature impacts the nesting preference of the solitary bee Megachile rotundata (Fabricius) under field…

Cryopreservation of seminal vesicle derived spermatozoa from Bombus impatiens and Apis mellifera – Implications for artificial insemination of bumble bees

Campion, Claire; Rajamohan, Arun; Rinehart, Joseph P. Abstract This study evaluates the efficacy of a cryopreservation protocol for spermatozoa derived from the accessory testis of male Bombus impatiens. It is also the first report of successful cryopreservation of bumble bee spermatozoa. The spermatozoa viability was compared with the similarly treated honey bee spermatozoa derived from…

Anoxia hormesis improves performance and longevity at the expense of fitness in a classic life history trade-off.

De La Torre, Alyssa; López-Martínez, Giancarlo Abstract Hormesis occurs as a result of biphasic dose relationship resulting in stimulatory responses at low doses and inhibitory ones at high doses. In this framework, environmental factors are often studied to understand how this exposure benefits the animal. In the current study we used anoxia, the total absence…

Effects of Temperature and Wildflower Strips on Survival and Macronutrient Stores of the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) Under Extended Cold Storage

Mia G Park, Casey M Delphia, Cassandra Prince, George D Yocum, Joseph P Rinehart, Kevin M O’Neill, Laura A Burkle, Julia H Bowsher, Kendra J Greenlee Abstract Megachile rotundata (F.) is an important pollinator of alfalfa in the United States. Enhancing landscapes with wildflowers is a primary strategy for conserving pollinators and may improve the…

Sperm can’t take the heat: Short-term temperature exposures compromise fertility of male bumble bees (Bombus impatiens)

Campion, Claire; Rajamohan, Arun; Dillon, Michael E. Abstract Bumble bee (genus Bombus) populations are increasingly under threat from habitat fragmentation, pesticides, pathogens, and climate change. Climate change is likely a prime driver of bumble bee declines but the mechanisms by which changing climates alter local abundance, leading to shifts in geographic range are unclear. Heat…

Size constrains oxygen delivery capacity within but not between bumble bee castes

Rikki Walter, Joseph P Rinehart, Michael Dillon, Kendra Greenlee Published: August 14, 2021 Abstract Bumble bees are eusocial, with distinct worker and queen castes that vary strikingly in size and life-history. The smaller workers rely on energetically-demanding foraging flights to collect resources for rearing brood. Queens can be 3 to 4 times larger than workers,…

Environmental impacts on diapause and survival of the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata

Elisabeth S. Wilson, Claire E. Murphy, Covey Wong, Joseph P Rinehart, George D. Yocum, Julia H Bowsher Published: August 3, 2021 Abstract Megachile rotundata exhibits a facultative prepupal diapause but the cues regulating diapause initiation are not well understood. Possible cues include daylength and temperature. Megachile rotundata females experience changing daylengths over the nesting season…

Body size allometry impacts flight-related morphology and metabolic rates in the solitary bee Megachile rotundata

Courtney C. Grula, Joseph P Rinehart, Kendra J Greenlee, Julia H Bowsher Journal of Insect Science, Volume 133, August–September 2021 Abstract Body size is related to many aspects of life history, including foraging distance and pollination efficiency. In solitary bees, manipulating the amount of larval diet produces intraspecific differences in adult body size. The goal…

Body and Wing Allometries Reveal Flight-Fecundity Tradeoff in Response to Larval Provisioning in Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Bryan R Helm, Maxwell A Baldwin, Joseph P Rinehart, George D Yocum, Kendra J Greenlee, Julia H Bowsher Journal of Insect Science, Volume 21, Issue 3, May 2021, 11 Abstract Variation in body size has important implications for physical performance and fitness. For insects, adult size and morphology are determined by larval growth and metamorphosis….