Pollinator Research Progress Report - 1982
Abstract
As part of a continuing program of examining various management practices as they influence leafcutting bee larval mortality, the "better bee bath" was included this season. This study was conducted with the cooperation of a seed grower in the Lovelock Valley. Management systems instituted and compared included: (a) board containing cells produced in 1980 and 1981 incubated to bee emergence, placed in domiciles and bees allowed to renest in same boards from which they emerged, additional boards were added as needed during the nesting season, (b) boards nested in 1980 and 1981, placed in incubated "phase out" units with bees nested in clean domiciles and nesting materials, (c) bees nested in wood laminates in 1981, cells removed and surface decontaminated with hypochlorite dip, emerged in field incubator, nested in clean domiciles and nesting materials, (d) boards nested in 1980 and 1981, placed in incubated “phase out” units with bees emerged through the "better bee bath" and nested in clean domiciles and nesting materials. Bees of each of the above indicated treatments were nested in paired domiciles. Samples of cells were removed from each domicile and analyzed for condition at weekly intervals over the entire nesting season.
