Using DNA metabarcoding to investigate honey bee foraging reveals limited flower use despite high floral availability
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Standard
Using DNA metabarcoding to investigate honey bee foraging reveals limited flower use despite high floral availability. / de Vere, Natasha; Jones, Laura E.; Gilmore, Tegan; Moscrop, Jake; Lowe, Abigail; Smith, Dan; Hegarty, Matthew J.; Creer, Simon; Ford, Col R.
In: Scientific Reports, Vol. 7, 42838, 2017.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Using DNA metabarcoding to investigate honey bee foraging reveals limited flower use despite high floral availability
AU - de Vere, Natasha
AU - Jones, Laura E.
AU - Gilmore, Tegan
AU - Moscrop, Jake
AU - Lowe, Abigail
AU - Smith, Dan
AU - Hegarty, Matthew J.
AU - Creer, Simon
AU - Ford, Col R
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Understanding which flowers honey bees (Apis mellifera) use for forage can help us to provide suitable plants for healthy honey bee colonies. Accordingly, honey DNA metabarcoding provides a valuable tool for investigating pollen and nectar collection. We investigated early season (April and May) floral choice by honey bees provided with a very high diversity of flowering plants within the National Botanic Garden of Wales. There was a close correspondence between the phenology of flowering and the detection of plants within the honey. Within the study area there were 437 genera of plants in flower during April and May, but only 11% of these were used. Thirty-nine plant taxa were recorded from three hives but only ten at greater than 1%. All three colonies used the same core set of native or near-native plants, typically found in hedgerows and woodlands. The major plants were supplemented with a range of horticultural species, with more variation in plant choice between the honey bee colonies. We conclude that during the spring, honey bees need access to native hedgerows and woodlands to provide major plants for foraging. Gardens provide supplementary flowers that may increase the nutritional diversity of the honey bee diet.
AB - Understanding which flowers honey bees (Apis mellifera) use for forage can help us to provide suitable plants for healthy honey bee colonies. Accordingly, honey DNA metabarcoding provides a valuable tool for investigating pollen and nectar collection. We investigated early season (April and May) floral choice by honey bees provided with a very high diversity of flowering plants within the National Botanic Garden of Wales. There was a close correspondence between the phenology of flowering and the detection of plants within the honey. Within the study area there were 437 genera of plants in flower during April and May, but only 11% of these were used. Thirty-nine plant taxa were recorded from three hives but only ten at greater than 1%. All three colonies used the same core set of native or near-native plants, typically found in hedgerows and woodlands. The major plants were supplemented with a range of horticultural species, with more variation in plant choice between the honey bee colonies. We conclude that during the spring, honey bees need access to native hedgerows and woodlands to provide major plants for foraging. Gardens provide supplementary flowers that may increase the nutritional diversity of the honey bee diet.
U2 - 10.1038/srep42838
DO - 10.1038/srep42838
M3 - Journal article
VL - 7
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
SN - 2045-2322
M1 - 42838
ER -
ID: 284973801