Mason bees management in orchards
The blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria) and the hornfaced bee (Osmia cornifrons) are alternative managed pollinators widely used in various crops, including apples, cherries, and almonds. Despite their potential, current management strategies require improvement to facilitate their implementation at a commercial scale.
One strategy to enhance bee retention in orchards is to provide them with attractive nesting substrates. To identify the most effective combinations, I evaluated various nesting shelters, substrates, and a recently developed attractant for mason bees. Natural materials, such as wooden shelters and reeds, proved to be the most appealing for these bees. Read the paper here.
Mason bees also rely on soil to construct partitions within their nests, making access to suitable soil types crucial. However, little is known about their specific soil preferences. By analyzing the texture of the soil used in their nest partitions, I found that mason bees can utilize a wide range of textures, from sandy to silty soils. Check out the results here.
Finally, while mason bees are highly effective pollinators for rosaceous crops, their suitability for other types of crops is less understood. To address this, I assessed their pollen preferences in blueberry fields to determine if they visited blueberry flowers. Although some blueberry pollen was present in their nest provisions, it was not the most abundant pollen type, suggesting that these bees prefer other plants when given a choice. This indicates that mason bees may not be the most effective pollinators for blueberries. Explore the findings here.