Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Wellington, 6011 , New Zealand.
Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Ecol Appl. 2018 Jul;28(5):1182-1196. doi: 10.1002/eap.1717. Epub 2018 May 7.
Honey bees require nectar and pollen from flowers: nectar for energy and pollen for growth. The demand for nectar and pollen varies during the year, with more pollen needed in spring for colony population growth and more nectar needed in summer to sustain the maximum colony size and collect surplus nectar stores for winter. Sufficient bee forage is therefore necessary to ensure a healthy bee colony. Land-use changes can reduce the availability of floral resources suitable for bees, thereby increasing the susceptibility of bees to other stressors such as disease and pesticides. In contrast, land-based management decisions to protect or plant bee forage can enhance pollen and nectar supply to bees while meeting other goals such as riparian planting for water-quality improvement. Commercial demand for honey can also put pressure on floral resources through over-crowding of hives. To help understand and manage floral resources for bees, we developed a spatial model for mapping monthly nectar and pollen production from maps of land cover. Based on monthly estimated production data we mapped potential monthly supply of nectar and pollen to a given apiary location in the landscape. This is done by summing the total production within the foraging range of the apiary while subtracting the estimated nectar converted to energy for collection. Ratios of estimated supply over theoretical hive demand may then be used to infer a potential landscape carrying capacity to sustain hives. This model framework is quantitative and spatial, utilizing estimated flight energy costs for nectar foraging. It can contribute to management decisions such as where apiaries could be placed in the landscape depending on floral resources and where nectar limited areas may be located. It can contribute to planning areas for bee protection or planting such as in riparian vegetation. This would aid managed bee health, wild pollinator protection, and honey production. We demonstrate the methods in a case study in New Zealand where there is a growing demand for mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey production.
花蜜提供能量，花粉促进生长。花蜜和花粉的需求在一年中有所变化，春季需要更多的花粉来促进蜂群的种群增长，夏季需要更多的花蜜来维持最大的蜂群规模，并为冬季收集多余的花蜜储备。因此，充足的蜜蜂饲料对于确保蜜蜂健康是必要的。土地利用的变化会减少适合蜜蜂的花卉资源的供应，从而增加蜜蜂对其他压力源（如疾病和杀虫剂）的敏感性。相比之下，保护或种植蜜蜂饲料的土地管理决策可以增加花粉和花蜜的供应，同时满足其他目标，如为改善水质而进行的河岸种植。商业上对蜂蜜的需求也会通过蜂箱的过度拥挤对花卉资源造成压力。为了帮助了解和管理蜜蜂的花卉资源，我们开发了一个空间模型，该模型基于土地覆盖地图来绘制每月的花蜜和花粉产量。根据每月的估计产量数据，我们在景观中为给定的蜂场位置绘制了花蜜和花粉的潜在月度供应图。这是通过在蜂场的觅食范围内汇总总产量，并减去估计为收集而转化为能量的花蜜来完成的。然后可以使用估计供应与理论蜂巢需求的比率来推断潜在的景观承载能力，以维持蜂巢。该模型框架是定量和空间的，利用了花蜜觅食的估计飞行能量成本。它可以为管理决策做出贡献，例如根据花卉资源和花蜜限制区域的位置，在景观中放置蜂场的位置。它可以为蜜蜂保护或种植区的规划做出贡献，例如在河岸植被区。这将有助于管理蜜蜂健康、野生传粉者保护和蜂蜜生产。我们在新西兰的一个案例研究中演示了这些方法，那里对麦卢卡（Leptospermum scoparium）蜂蜜生产的需求不断增长。
