Bees make exceptional pollinators, and farmers have effectively monetized off of their benefits to increase crop production. They do this by maintaining a population of specific bee species and directing them to the plant or crop that needs pollination. One example of a managed pollinator is the Honey bee (Apis mellifera). Farmers frequently hire “honey bee hives”, which are managed by large beekeeping industries and are put on cargo vans and shipped all around the United States to help pollinate crops, such as apples, almonds, and watermelon. Their temporary boost of pollination during the growing season helps farmers harvest higher crop yields. This partnership between farmers and honey bees also benefits the beekeepers that are able to collect honey which will later stock the shelves in supermarkets. To read more about managed honey bees, check out this article by Dacotah Melicher, Ph.D. and his research on traveling honey bee colonies. A lesser-known managed pollinator is the Alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata). They are a solitary bee native to Europe that builds their nests out of leaf clippings in small holes and cavities in trees, buildings, and other structures. Below is a picture of a leafcutting bee nest, which contains anywhere from 1 to 11 individual cells that hold a single egg each. When provided with a commercial nesting block, as seen in the photo above, Alfalfa Leafcutting bee ‘farmers’ are able to harvest their nests while the adolescent leafcutting bees continue to develop in their cells.
Once the offspring hatch from their egg, they will spend their entire adolescent period developing inside the cell and feeding off of a mixture of pollen and nectar provided by the mother during nest construction. Once they reach their adult stage, one by one they will chew their way out of the leaf clipping walls and begin a new cycle of pollinating and reproducing. Alfalfa leafcutting bees are in some ways better pollinators than honey bees. Because they are much smaller in comparison, they can more effectively pollinate crops such as, you guessed it, alfalfa. Since their accidental introduction a few decades ago, they have nearly tripled alfalfa production in the United States. Their contributions pollinating alfalfa means they play a major role in the dairy and beef industry because alfalfa is widely used as cattle feed. In addition to being better at pollinating certain crops, they are much easier to manage. Instead of requiring a lot of attention and expensive equipment as honey bees, such as beehives and protective clothing, farmers can buy alfalfa leafcutting bees by the gallon and simply scatter them across their field. If provided with a nesting block, farmers will even benefit from a return on investment as generations continue.
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