Will planting Malus domestica with Vaccinium corymbosum increase diversity in Apoidea in RI?
Will planting Malus domestica with Vaccinium corymbosum increase diversity in Apoidea in RI?
Monday, November 16, 2015
Exhibit Hall BC (Convention Center)
For our Coastal Fellowship at the University of Rhode Island, we collected bees from 8 different farms throughout Rhode Island to identify the wild bees pollinating highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum). We also determined the percent blueberry pollen collected by each individual bee and bee species. With this data, we plan to compare the amounts of bees and percent blueberry pollen on farms that grow just blueberries to farms that grow both blueberries and apples (Malus domestica) to see if farms should plant apple trees to provide diversity (including bumblebee worker abundance) and early season forage for bees to keep them around to pollinate their blueberry crop. We think there may be higher bee diversity on farms that grow apples and blueberries, suggesting that having both planted will give bees a place to forage and nest all season long.
See more of: 02 - Undergraduate Poster Competition: P-IE - Bees and Arthropod Communities
See more of: Student Poster Competition
See more of: Student Poster Competition