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Feral Africanized Honey Bee Ecology in a Coastal Prairie Landscape

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Feral Africanized Honey Bee Ecology in a Coastal Prairie Landscape FERAL AFRICANIZED HONEY BEE ECOLOGY IN A COASTAL PRAIRIE LANDSCAPE A Dissertation by KRISTEN ANNE BAUM Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2003 Major Subject: Entomology FERAL AFRICANIZED HONEY BEE ECOLOGY IN A COASTAL PRAIRIE LANDSCAPE A Dissertation by KRISTEN ANNE BAUM Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved as to style and content by: _________________________________ _____________________________ Robert N. Coulson William L. Rubink (Co-Chair of Committee) (Co-Chair of Committee) _________________________________ _____________________________ William E. Grant S. Bradleigh Vinson (Member) (Member) _________________________________ _____________________________ X. Ben Wu Kevin M. Heinz (Member) (Head of Department) May 2003 Major Subject: Entomology iii ABSTRACT Feral Africanized Honey Bee Ecology in a Coastal Prairie Landscape. (May 2003) Kristen Anne Baum, B.S., The College of William and Mary; M.S., Texas A&M University Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Robert N. Coulson Dr. William L. Rubink Honey bees, Apis mellifera, play an important role in many ecosystems, pollinating a wide variety of native, agricultural, and exotic plants. The recent decline in the number of feral and managed honey bee colonies in North America, as well as the arrival of Africanized honey bees, have caused concern about adequate pollination for agricultural crops and natural plant communities. However, little is known about feral colonies, and the feral population is the source for Africanized honey bees as they spread and infiltrate managed populations. The goal of my dissertation was to examine the ecology of feral honey bee colonies, adding the spatial context necessary to understand the population ecology and patterns of resource use by feral honey bees on the Welder Wildlife Refuge. I defined the functional heterogeneity of feral honey bee habitat by identifying the suitability of different habitats for feral colonies based on the distribution and abundance of important resources (cavities, nectar, and pollen). I evaluated the distribution and abundance of feral colonies by examining nest site characteristics, population trends, and spatial and iv temporal patterns in cavity use. Lastly, I examined resource use by evaluating patterns in pollen collection and identifying where and when honey bees searched for resources. Overall, the Welder Wildlife Refuge provided excellent habitat for feral honey bees, supporting a high density of feral colonies. The dense live oak habitat was the best overall source for cavities, nectar, and pollen. Nectar and pollen were abundant throughout the year, with the exception of December and January, when a large number of honey bees searched for resources. Cavities did not appear to vary in their suitability for feral colonies based on measured structural and environmental attributes, since no cavity attributes were correlated with indices of cavity quality. However, the cavity quality indices varied between cavities, suggesting some cavities were more suitable for feral honey bees than others. Colonies were aggregated within the study area, probably due to the distribution of resources. The invasion of Africanized honey bees appeared to fragment the existing European population, with Africanized colonies aggregated in distribution and European colonies random in distribution. v DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to Blannie who taught me what is really important, and to my mom, dad, and sister who gave me the courage to never give up. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank my advisory committee: Drs. Bob Coulson, Bill Rubink, Bill Grant, Ben Wu, and Brad Vinson, for their help in the development and completion of this research project. Special thanks to Dr. Bob Coulson and Dr. Bill Rubink for serving as my committee co-chairs and participating in all aspects of this project. This research would not have been possible without the involvement and support of numerous people. Dan Saenz helped develop many of the ideas and assisted with the collection of field data. Dr. Tanya Pankiw provided insightful discussions on honey bee biology, as well as guidance throughout my graduate career. Alice Pinto joined me on my journey as a Ph.D. student, and provided some of the data used in this dissertation. Dr. Doug Wunneburger developed the mosaic of the Welder Wildlife Refuge and assisted in GIS related components of this project. Lisa Lavold and Dawn Marshall processed and identified many of the pollen samples, and Dr. Vaughn Bryant provided valuable input on pollen data interpretation. Dr. Lynn Drawe, Dr. Terry Blankenship, and Dr. Selma Glasscock provided data from the Welder Wildlife Refuge and provided support during my time in the field. Jim McCormick, Art Cavazos, and Roy Medrano provided additional help in the field. Audrey Bunting, Maria Tchakerian, and Rebecca Meegan provided technical and moral support in College Station. Dr. Bill Wilson shared his keen interest in honey bees and many references. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends and family for their constant support throughout my graduate studies. vii Funding for this project was provided by the Welder Wildlife Foundation, the USDA/ARS/Beneficial Insects Research Unit, and the Texas Legislative Initiative: Protection and Management of Honey Bees - Pollinators of Agricultural Crops, Orchards, and Natural Landscapes. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION ...................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..............................................................................................vi TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................x LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 Background .........................................................................................................2 Study system .......................................................................................................5 II HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS.................................................................................7 Introduction .........................................................................................................7 Methods...............................................................................................................9 Spatial database development .......................................................................9 Landscape classification and quantification................................................10 Nectar classification ....................................................................................18 Pollen classification.....................................................................................22 Cavity classification ....................................................................................24 Combined classification ..............................................................................25 Results ...............................................................................................................28 Landscape classification and quantification................................................28 Nectar classification ....................................................................................28 Pollen classification.....................................................................................35 Cavity classification ....................................................................................49 Combined classification ..............................................................................61 Discussion .........................................................................................................61 III DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE ..............................................................74 ix CHAPTER Page Introduction .......................................................................................................74 Methods.............................................................................................................76 Study site description ..................................................................................76 Colony density.............................................................................................77 Cavity attributes ..........................................................................................78 Spatial and temporal patterns ......................................................................80 Spatial and temporal patterns of Africanized and European colonies ........81 Results ...............................................................................................................82 Colony density.............................................................................................82 Cavity attributes
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