Results of native pollinator diversity surveys on Kentucky vegetable farms

Pollination is a key process which is necessary for the production of marketable yields of several vegetable crops, including melons, squash, and pumpkins. With widespread declines of honey bee populations being reported and attributed to colony collapse disorder, the importance of native pollinators to perform this vital ecological service will undoubtedly increase. Surveys of eight diversified farms across Kentucky were studied for populations of hymenoptera pollinators, in areas where cucurbit crops were being produced. Monitoring was conducted through use of a combination of passive trapping (“bee bowls”) and real-time observations of pollinators. Overall, a general bias towards native pollinators and away from Apis mellifera was observed in all sampling regimes, indicating a greater contribution from these insects as pollinators than may be currently realized.