A survey of native bees (Superfamily: Apoidea) in apple orchards of the North Georgia Piedmont

Worldwide declines in European honeybee (Apis mellifera) populations have made identification of endemic bees, which could replace or supplement honeybee pollination, a high priority. These studies need to be regional and crop specific as Native bee species and emergence times vary. In addition, flowering periods for agricultural crops also differ, restricting which bee species are available to pollinate. In Georgia apple orchards, Andrenids and Apids proved to be the most prevalent of all native bee taxa from before and during the bloom, while Halictids steadily increased through the bloom and post-bloom, maximizing after the bloom. Sphecids were non-existent until after the bloom, at which time their abundance proliferated. The other bee families poorly represented during the survey include a few individual megachilids and colletids. Overall, the most abundant native pollinator available during the apple bloom was the Andrenids, suggesting they could be likely candidates to replace or supplement A. mellifera.