Resource Detail

Title	Pollinators and plant nurseries: how irrigation and pesticide treatment of native ornamental plants impact solitary bees
Author	Jacob M. Cecala and Erin E. Wilson Rankin
Date	2021-07-28
Description	We designed a two-factor field cage experiment in which we reared Megachile rotundata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) on containerized ornamental plants grown under two different irrigation levels and imidacloprid treatments (30% label rate dosage of a nursery formulation or an untreated control). Lower irrigation was associated with modest decreases in nectar volume and floral abundance in untreated plants, whereas irrigation did not affect plants treated with imidacloprid. Furthermore, higher irrigation decreased the amount of imidacloprid entering nectar. Imidacloprid application strongly reduced bee foraging activity and reproduction, and higher irrigation did not offset any negative effects on bees.
Keywords	nectar Phacelia tanacetifolia imidacloprid Megachile rotundata neonicotinoids soil moisture
URL	https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.1287
Photograph	1
ID	8107