1. Bee Population Decline By Kyle Zaplitny, Matthew Heckard, Nick Haring, and Tyler Schmutz

2. Introduction Our EACAP Project: We worked with John Rost of the Horticulture Research Center on campus for our EACAP project. We were tasked with creating a pamphlet that helped people to learn more about pollinators and their importance in the ecosystem. Our Research Topic: Bee Population Decline.

3. How does Pollination work? Pollination - The transfer of pollen from flower to flower. Bees collect pollen to feed to their offspring. Pollen sticks to bees through electrostatic forces and is carried to other flowers. It is important because many different plants need help moving pollen from one flower to another. To attract bees and other pollinators, flowers give nectar for their hard work. Nectar is a mix of water and sugar the plants produce. Plants can only produce seeds when their pollen is transferred to other flowers

4. Weather Impact on Bees Bees prefer warm weather (between 57 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit) Cold Weather - Bees stay in their hives, eat, and exercise their flight muscles to keep the hive warm to protect their queen, the honey, and their larvae. Hot Weather - It gets too hot for bees if temperatures reach around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If this happens all the bees start gathering water and bringing it back to the hive to try to cool it down.

5. How Penn State Berks is getting involved Bee Houses - Penn State Berks has provided bee houses (also known as bee boxes or bee hotels) which are containers of wood or PVC piping that contain hollowed out pieces of bamboo in them. The bees larvae are placed inside along with pollen and as the larvae grow, they eat their way out of the bamboo. Bee Apiaries - Penn State Berks has gotten their bee apiaries in the last few day. It is the place where a beehive of honey bees stay. It encourages bees to stay in the area and pollinate plants. Pollinator Gardens - It is important to have a garden that supports pollinators like Penn State Berks. A pollinator garden should include native plants, a water source, a place for bees to stay, and plants that bloom season-round.

6. Meet the Pollinators There are many different pollinators. Some pollinators in our area include: bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, birds, bats, and even the wind. The different pollinators require different types of plants in order for their survival. Different types of plants attract different types of pollinators. This is why it is important for pollinator gardens to contain many different types of plants that will support many different types of pollinators.

7. Threats and Dangers for Bees The causes of bee population decline are very similar to other species that have had population issues. One of the major threats to bee populations is habitat loss. And even if they can still use some of these areas, they might not be of a high enough quality for the bees to thrive. Invasive species are not thought to be a huge problem for bees yet, but people are a little worried due to outcomes with many other organisms in regard to invasive species. Pollution Pesticides, chemicals, etc. Climate change

8. BeeKeeping Why? Bees pollinate the food we eat. Can be very useful in gardens. Can help with the problem of habitat loss for bees. Honey production. Purely for the enjoyment in seeing them in nature. How? You can get into beekeeping as a hobby and get a full apiary and start raising bees for many purposes. You could also make a bee block or bee house, which while you don’t get any honey out of the deal you still receive all of the other benefits of keeping bees around. This will be further discussed in a later slide.

9. Pollinators at Penn State “More than 85% of flowering plants, including some crops, require pollinators to reproduce.”-Nature.com Offer resources and shelter for all pollinators Ensure they are not infringing on each others’ resources

10. Different Species and Climate Change Species 30,000 bee species around the world 4,000 in the United States Climate Change Southern limits retreating north, and northern limits aren’t extending. Plants dying earlier in their respective season “On Pennsylvania Mountain, home of one of the research sites, flower production has declined by 60% since the 1970s.”-Nature.com Bees’ tongues are getting shorter Able to access more plants that are becoming sparse in certain areas/seasons

11. What You Can Do! 1.Plant a Pollinator Garden ●Choose the appropriate plants ●Plan in clumps/clusters ●Provide a variety of colors & shapes ●Choose native plants whenever possible 2.) Provide Nesting Sites ●Humming birds typically nest in trees/shrubs ●Butterflies - lay eggs on specific plants ●Bees- most bees nest in ground and in wood or dry plant stems ○Ground nesting sites; best if facing south to get most sun in undisturbed land with little vegetation ○Wood nesting sites; many bees will use existing holes or cavities in wood or dry plant material. 3.) Avoid or limit use of Pesticides

12. Honey Bee Hierarchy: Typically 3 Types of adult bees: ● Workers ○ Smallest, but majority ○ Sexually undeveloped females ○ Perform all the labors of the hive ● Drones ○ Largest in colony ○ No stinger ○ Primary Function= Mate with the Queen ● Queen ○ Only one queen ○ Primary Function= Reproduction

13. Any Questions?