Gene Scarpulla

Editor – The Maryland EntomologistMaryland Entomological Society

Associate – Bee Inventory and Monitoring LaboratoryPatuxent Wildlife Research Center

Native Bees of Maryland

Pre-Acknowledgments

◼ This presentation has been created from information referenced from several presentations put together by a consortium of North American bee biologists as well as from other sources.

◼ The original bee presentations developed over many years and the original web photographic acknowledgments are no longer accessible. If you see one of your images, please contact me and I will add your acknowledgment.

◼ Correspondence can be sent to Gene Scarpulla at ejscarp@comcast.net.

Talk is centered around a survey of the native bees of Hart-Miller Island,

Baltimore County, Maryland

A Brief Historyof Hart-Miller Island

Maryland Dredged Material Containment Facilities

Hart Island

◼ 1659 - Hooper’s Island - George Gouldsmith

◼ 1669 - Todd’s Island - Thomas Todd

◼ 1821 - Hart Island - Joseph Hart

◼ 1877 - Millers Island - Atlas of Baltimore County

◼ 1951 - Hart Island & Pleasure Island

– (split into two islands due to wave erosion)

Miller Island

◼ 1676 - Ardington - John Arding

◼ 1714 - Bently’s Island - Stephen Bently

◼ 1726 - Stansbury’s Venture - Thomas Stansbury

◼ 1759 - Stansbury’s Island - Thomas Stansbury

◼ 17?? - Miller’s Island

◼ 1877 - Little Island - Atlas of Baltimore County

◼ ???? - Miller Island

Additional Owners

◼ ca. 1900 – Millers Island Ducking Club

◼ 1933 – George S. Groves (NY Financier)– Planned a home, yacht harbor, game preserve

◼ late 1930s – White Eagle Polish Savings and Loan Association

◼ 1947 – George P. Mahoney (Maryland politician)– Planned home sites, recreational areas

◼ 1950s–mid 1960s – New Bayshore Park

Millers Island Ducking Club(circa 1900)

© 1944 H. G. Roebuck & Son, There Are No Dull Dark Days, Percy Thayer Blogg

New Bay Shore Park(1950s)

Shoreline Changes1846 – 1933 – 1969

After Maryland Geological Survey

Hart Island & Miller IslandPre-Construction

Creation of Hart-Miller Island

◼ 1981–1984– 6-mile perimeter dike (18 feet MLT)– 1100 surface acre impoundment

◼ 1983– Cross dike– North Cell (800 acres) & South Cell (300 acres)

◼ 1988–1989– Perimeter and cross dikes raised (28 feet MLT)

◼ 1996–1997– North Cell dike raised (44 feet MLT)

Hart-Miller IslandPost-Construction, Pre-Inflow

Dredged Material Inflow

◼ South Cell: 1984–1990

◼ North Cell: 1985–2009

Hart-Miller IslandAfter Inflow

InformalCooperative Arrangementto Conduct Bird Surveys

◼ Maryland Environmental Service

◼ Maryland Department Of Natural Resources

◼ Maryland Port Administration

◼ Maryland Ornithological Society

Weekly Bird Surveys

◼ 1983 – Maryland Ornithological Society

◼ 1996 – I began doing weekly bird surveys as part of this effort.

Weekly Insect Surveys Added to the Weekly Bird Surveys

◼ 1998 – Butterflies

◼ 2000 – Dragonflies

– Damselflies

◼ 2005 – Other Insects

© 2004William J. Hubick

© 2007Eugene J. Scarpulla

Why Did I Start Sampling Bees?

Megachile brevis (female)USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab

A Bit of Gentle Arm-twisting

◼ Sam Droege

– Wildlife Biologist

▪ Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC)

– Head

▪ Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory (BIML) at PWRC

© 2009 Discover Life

A Training Course Was Offered

“Native Bee Identification, Ecology, Research, and Monitoring”

_______

December 1–5, 2008_____

Bee Inventory and Monitoring LaboratoryPatuxent Wildlife Research Center

_____

Instructors

Samuel W. Droege – Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory

Robert P. Jean – Indiana State University (then Ph.D. Candidate)

(Currently Environmental Solutions & Innovations)

A Little Bit About Biology

So

lita

ryS

ocia

lP

ara

sit

icSolitary: 72.2%

Social: 4.6%

Parasitic: 23.2%

Female or Male?

Female

- 6 abdominal segments

- 12 antennal segments

- scopa on legs or abdomen (for collecting pollen)

- stinger

Male

- 7 abdominal segments

- 13 antennal segments

- no scopa

- no stinger

Osmia conjunctaOsmia conjunctaUSGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab

Bee or Fly?Bee

- two pairs of wings

- at rest: wings folded flat over body

- less conspicuous eyes

- long antennae

- chewing mouthparts

- little hovering

Fly

- one pair of wings

- at rest: wings out to sides (triangle)

- large, prominent eyes

- short antennae

- sponging or piercing-sucking mouthparts

- hover

Laphria thoracicaBombus impatiensBombus impatiens© 2013 James F. Cooper

Laphria thoracica© 2007 Ilona Loser

Bee or Wasp?Bee

- more robust

- hairy

- branched body hairs

- scopa on females (for collecting pollen)

- vegetarian (nectar, pollen)

Wasp

- more slender

- much less hairy

- unbranched body hairs

- no scopa

- carnivorous (insects, spiders)

Nomada superba PompilidaeUSGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab

USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab

United States Bee Facts

▪ ~ 4000 bee species in the United States

▪ ~ 800 bee species east of the Mississippi River

▪ ~ 435 bee species in Maryland

▪ Little is known about the status of native bee populations

▪ 6 bee families in the United States

Bee Families

▪ Colletidae

▪ plasterer bees, yellow-faced bees

▪ Andrenidae

▪ mining bees, sand bees

Colletes sp.

Calliopsis sp.

Bee Families

▪ Halictidae

▪ sweat bees, green bees

▪ Melittidae

▪ oil-collecting bees

Agapostemon sp.

Macropis sp.

Bee Families

▪ Megachilidae

▪ leafcutting bees, mason bees, resin bees

▪ Apidae

▪ bumble bees, carpenter bees, honey bees, digger bees, cuckoo bees

Megachile sp.

Bombus sp.

© Donna Brunet

Potential Bee Research Products

◼ Species list

◼ Species diversity

◼ Species seasonality

◼ Relative abundance

◼ Temporal changes if survey is replicated

Nomada sp.

And So Began the 2009

Hart-Miller Island Native Bee Survey

Megachile sp.

Bombus sp.

Transect Locations

Map adapted from Google Earth 7.0.2.8415. Image © 2013 DigitalGlobe. [accessed 6 February 2013]

Six Habitats Selected

Transect 1Sandy path & beach area

Transect 2Deciduous woodland trail

© 2010 Eugene J. Scarpulla © 2010 Eugene J. Scarpulla

Six Habitats Selected

Transect 3Grassy meadow path

Transect 4

Gravel roadside along tidal marsh

© 2010 Eugene J. Scarpulla © 2010 Eugene J. Scarpulla

Six Habitats Selected

Transect 5Gravel trailside along pond

Transect 6

Gravel roadside at loblolly pines

© 2010 Eugene J. Scarpulla © 2010 Eugene J. Scarpulla

Bee Bowls

◼ White, 3.25-ounce “Solo® soufflé portion cups”

◼ Bowls painted fluorescent blue, fluorescent yellow, or left white (bees attracted to the color)

◼ Each bowl partially filled with water containing a small amount of Ultra Dawn® blue dishwashing liquid (lowered water’s surface tension)

“Bee Bowls”

© 2010 Eugene J. Scarpulla

Field Protocol

◼ Surveys not conducted during inclement or cloudy weather

◼ Each transect – 20 bee bowls

– 7 blue, 7 yellow, and 6 white bowls

◼ Colors alternated sequentially and placed ~ 5 meters (~16.4 feet) apart in a straight or curved line depending on the geography of the site

Field Protocol

◼ Bowls placed where they would receive maximum sun and not placed under overhanging vegetation

◼ Bowls deployed for ~5 hours per sampling day

◼ While bowls deployed, limited opportunistic netting occurred

Field Protocol

◼ Survey early spring – late fall

– March into December

– Spring bees, summer bees, fall bees

◼ Survey every 2–3 weeks

– Bee’s average adult lifespan: 4–5 weeks

– Total of 18 survey days

Specimen Processing

◼ Preserve specimens in ethyl alcohol

◼ Wash specimens

◼ Dry specimens

◼ Pin specimens

◼ Label specimens

◼ Identify specimens

◼ Enter data into the Discover Life database

◼ Check database entries

How Do You Identify Bees?

Dorsal View

© 2007 Rebekah Andrus Nelson

Ventral View

© 2007 Rebekah Andrus Nelson

Lateral View

© 2007 Rebekah Andrus Nelson

Head

© 2007 Rebekah Andrus Nelson

Wing

© 2007 Rebekah Andrus Nelson

Leg

© 2007 Rebekah Andrus Nelson

Identification: Discover Life

© 2014 Discover Life

Survey Results

◼ Family Species Individuals

– Colletidae 5 (at least) 31

– Andrenidae 13 (at least) 52

– Halictidae 32 (at least) 3372

– Melittidae 0 0

– Megachilidae 18 210

– Apidae 18 (at least) 781

◼ Total 86 (at least) 4446

Seasonal Bee Abundance

◼ One season only species

– Spring – 29

– Summer – 11

– Fall – 12

◼ Two season only

– Spring/Summer – 5

– Spring/Fall – 3

– Summer/Fall – 4

◼ Three seasons – 22

Seasonal Bee Abundance

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

17-Mar 4-Apr 18-Apr 6-May 19-May30-May 13-Jun 2-Jul 20-Jul 7-Aug 24-Aug 7-Sep 21-Sep 4-Oct 21-Oct 9-Nov 29-Nov 15-Dec

Rank-Abundance Curve

Estimated Total Island Species

◼ Found: 86 species (at least)

◼ Statistical Estimation: 108–123 species

Colletidaeplasterer bees, yellow-faced bees

◼ 2 genera in Maryland– Colletes 13 species

– Hylaeus 13 species

Colletidae

◼ Colletes

– polyester bees

– solitary

– sandy soils

◼ Hylaeus

– yellow-faced bees

– solitary

– pithy stems & twigs

Andrenidaemining bees, sand bees

◼ 6 genera in Maryland– Andrena 83 species

– Calliopsis 1 species

– Panurginus 3 species

– Perdita 7 species

– Protandrena 1 species

– Pseudopanurgus 6 species

Andrenidae

◼ Andrena (Spring)

– mining bees

– solitary

– soil

◼ Calliopsis

– mining bees

– solitary

– soil

Andrenidae

◼ Perdita

– mining bees

– solitary

– soil

Halictidaesweat bees, green bees

◼ 10 genera in Maryland– Agapostemon 4 species

– Augochlora 1 species

– Augochlorella 2 species

– Augochloropsis 2 species

– Dieunomia 1 species

– Dufourea 1 species

– Halictus 6 species

– Lasioglossum 77 species

– Nomia 2 species

– Sphecodes 16 species

Halictidae

◼ Agapostemon

– green bees

– solitary

– barren soils

◼ Augochlora

– green bees

– solitary

– soft, rotting dead wood or tunnels of wood-boring insects © 2005 Bob Moul

Halictidae

◼ Augochlorella

– green bees

– solitary

– soil

◼ Augochloropsis

– green bees

– solitary

– soil

© Joyce Gross

Halictidae

◼ Halictus

– sweat bees

– solitary

– soil

◼ Lasioglossum

– sweat bees

– solitary

– mostly soil, some rotten logs

Halictidae

◼ Sphecodes

– cuckoo bees

– parasitic in halictid nests

– soil

Melittidaeoil-collecting bees

◼ 2 genera in Maryland– Macropis 2 species

– Melitta 2 species

Melittidae

◼ Macropis

– oil-collecting bees

– solitary

– fine, well-drained soil

◼ Melitta

– oil-collecting bees

– solitary

– flat or gently sloping ground

Megachilidaeleafcutter, mason, resin bees

◼ 11 genera in Maryland– Anthidiellum 1 species

– Anthidium 2 species

– Chelostoma 1 species

– Coelioxys 10 species

– Heriades 4 species

– Hoplitis 5 species

– Megachile 23 species

– Osmia 19 species

– Paranthidium 1 species

– Pseudoanthidium 1 species

– Stelis 3 species

Megachilidae

◼ Anthidium

– cotton bees, carder bees

– solitary

– soil

◼ Coelioxys

– cuckoo bees

– parasitic in Megachile nests

– soil or wood

Megachilidae

◼ Hoplitis

– leafcutter bees

– solitary

– preexisting cavities, pithy stems

◼ Megachile

– leafcutter bees

– solitary

– preexisting cavities in soil or wood

Megachilidae

◼ Osmia (Spring)

– mason bees, orchard bees

– solitary

– preexisting tunnels in wood

◼ Stelis

– cuckoo bees

– parasitic in megachilid nests

– soil or wood© University of Florida

Apidaebumble, carpenter, digger, honey, cuckoo bees

◼ 20 Genera in Maryland– Anthophora 5 species

– Apis 1 species (honey bees)

– Bombus 13 species (bumble bees)

– Cemolobus 1 species

– Ceratina 6 species

– Epeoloides 1 species

– Epeolus 8 species

– Eucera 4 species

– Florilegus 1 species

– Habropoda 1 species

Apidaebumble, carpenter, digger, honey, cuckoo bees

◼ 20 Genera in Maryland– Holcopasites 3 species

– Melissodes 14 species

– Melitoma 1 species

– Nomada 29 species

– Peponapis 1 species

– Ptilothrix 1 species

– Svastra 3 species

– Triepeolus 9 species

– Xenoglossa 1 species

– Xylocopa 1 species

Apidae

◼ Apis

– honey bees

– colonial

– tree hollows, sheltered spaces

◼ Bombus

– bumble bees

– colonial (mostly) or parasitic

– abandoned rodent burrows

Apidae

◼ Ceratina

– small carpenter bees

– solitary

– pithy stems and twigs

◼ Habropoda

– blueberry bees

– solitary

– soil

Apidae

◼ Melissodes

– long-horned bees

– solitary

– lightly vegetated flat ground

◼ Melitoma

– morning glory bees

– solitary

– soil with chimneys or tunnels© University of Georgia

Apidae

◼ Nomada (Spring)

– cuckoo bees

– parasitic on halictids & andrenids

– soil

◼ Ptilothrix

– mallow bees

– solitary

– soil

Apidae

◼ Xylocopa

– carpenter bees

– solitary

– sound, dead wood of trees and structures

Acknowledgments

◼ Samuel W. Droege – Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

◼ Michael S. Arduser – Missouri Department of Conservation

◼ Jason Gibbs – Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba

◼ Maryland Environmental Service

◼ Maryland Park Service

◼ Maryland Port Administration

Suggested References

The Bees in Your Backyard:

A Guide to N. America’s Bees

Bumble Bees of the Eastern United States

© 2011 USDA Forest Service and The Pollinator Partnership

© 2016 Joseph S. Wilson & Olivia Messinger Carril

Suggested References

Field Guide to the Common Bees of California

(30 CA genera covered, 26 occur in MD)

Bees: An Up-close Look at Pollinators Around the World

(stunning close-up bee photography)

© 2013 The Regents of the University of California

© 2015 Quarto Publishing Group

Bees of Maryland: A Field GuideNorth American Native Bee Collaborative

A work in progress: available at: http://bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab

What You Can Dofor Native Bees

◼ Plant native plants.– Diversity

– Species clusters

– Spring, summer, and fall flowers

◼ Leave patches of bare ground for ground nesters.

◼ Leave canes for pith nesters.

◼ Install bee houses for cavity nesters.

◼ Use less or no pesticides.

What’s Next for Me?

◼ Analyze and writeup the 2015 yearlong cooperative bee survey conducted with USF&WS on Poplar Island, Talbot County (~20,000 specimens)

◼ Keep researching, publishing, speaking, spreading the word about native bees

© 2014 Donna J. Finnegan