Foraging patterns of the southeastern blueberry bee Habropoda laboriosa (Apidae, Hymenoptera): Implications for understanding oligolecty

SummaryPrevious observations have suggested that the blueberry bee (Habropoda laboriosa, Apidae) is oligolectic on blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) but visits a number of secondary plant species for nectar. To examine how oligolecty persists in human modified habitats: (1) observations were made of plants it visited in both urban and rural habitats, (2) the type of pollen on its body was measured when foraging on either Vaccinium or Gelsemium, and (3) foraging behavior on Vaccinium, Gelsemium, and Azalea was studied across an rural/suburban/urban land use gradient in a foraging preference experiment.Male and female blueberry bees were recorded foraging on a wide range of plants in urban, suburban, and rural areas for both pollen and nectar. Female bees collected pollen from five genera in four families. Pollen on male and female bees collected on either Vaccinium or Gelsemium was predominantly from the species from which it was collected, but many specimens had both pollen types present. There were significant...