Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to monitor the behavior and population counts of
Bombus spp. and Apis mellifera on Vaccinium farms in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.
With global pollinator populations declining there is a concern for the reproduction of
plants that rely on biotic pollination, most notably food crops. Through this study we
obtained a better understanding of the role each genus plays within pollination services.
This research project had two separate studies: first, to monitor behavior through
observing the number of Vaccinium flowers pollinated per minute per bee, also described
as floral handling rate. We observed three Bombus and three Apis along each transect,
following as they moved from flower to flower. The second study was to monitor bee
populations in order to establish a comparison between Apis and Bombus presence.