Clips of bee behavior (primarily native bees) pollinating peach, apple, blueberry, blackberry, and various types of cucurbits (squash, melon,... » More

Clips of bee behavior (primarily native bees) pollinating peach, apple, blueberry, blackberry, and various types of cucurbits (squash, melon, cucumber, watermelon), and nesting, in southwest Virginia. Designed to be spoken over--for teaching about the diversity of bee pollinators in crops and bee behavior. Dedicated to Dr. Michael Kosztarab, the donor of the Kosztarab Scholarship, an award presented to Virginia Tech entomology students who have contributed to the department's insect collection or to insect systematics. Film highlights buzz pollination, mating of squash bees, nectar robbing by carpenter bees, the change in behavior of bumble bees through the growing season (skittish queens in early spring to relaxed, probably workers, in late summer), pollen-packing, and grooming behaviors. Also shows Dr. T'ai Roulston marking a tomatillo specialist bee, Colletes latitarsis, after cooling the bee on ice, a technique that allows for capture, release, and recapture, without harm to the bees. One clip shows worker honey bees forcing drones (males) out of the hive at the end of the season, somewhat like thoughtful advisors might push their grad students out when it's time...

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