Bumblebee survey results
Bumblebees are among the most familiar and important pollinators in Arkansas. From native plants to agricultural crops, bumblebees provide an irreplaceable service that maintains native biodiversity and puts food on our plates. Bumblebees are vital pollinators of several native plants. Such showy plant species as purple beardtongue, obedient plant, and big blue lobelia have evolved in conjunction with bumblebee pollinators. From an agricultural perspective, bumblebees are the most effective pollinators of such crops as blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes, and melons. Without the pollination services of bees, many native plants would become extinct and crop yields could be significantly reduced.
The 2005-06 Arkansas Bumblebee Survey was aimed at examining the distribution of bumblebees across the state. Although the survey was not comprehensive in scope, it provided very useful information about the status of Arkansas's bumblebees. The bumblebees most commonly reported by bumble-watchers were the two-spotted bumblebee (
Bombus bimaculatus) and the impatient bumblebee (
B. impatiens). Both species dominated survey observations from garden and natural sites.
An important distinction among bumblebees is their tongue-length. Knowing whether a species has a short or long tongue can give you information as to what plants that bee likes to feed from. Short-tongued bumblebees prefer plants with short floral tubes such as
Coreopsis or lavender. Long-tongued bumblebees specialize on plants with long floral tubes such as foxglove or bee balm. Two-spotted and impatient bumblebees have short-tongues.
Long-tongued bumblebees, like the American bumblebee (
B. pennsylvanicus) were seen less frequently and were mostly reported from natural sites. These observations suggest that the plants present in most gardens and natural sites catered to shorter-tongued bees. These preliminary results may reflect a real lack of resources for long-tongued bees and have implications for their conservation. Our results suggest that resources for long-tongued bumblebees may be limited in urban or surburban settings. Limited resources could explain their rarity in these landscapes.