Bee and Plant Associations

We developed a new easy to open nest trap block design so that we can open nests to collect plant material brought in by bees. Traps were placed in 105 locations, including every ecological section in the state. 

We completed our main nesting field season and have brought nest blocks back to UMN for rearing in winter conditions. Resin nest material samples were collected in the summer and fall from the 21 traps in the resin choice experiment, along with reference tree resin samples. 

We have taken samples of resin and leaf material from bee nests retuned last fall. Resin samples were sent off for analysis and comparison with reference trees. March and April were rearing season when we warmed the nest blocks and captured adult bees to identify the bee species making each nest (see our Species Guide). We are setting up a resin choice experiment on campus. We started DNA extraction from leaf samples from the bee nests.

We have been identifying the 1,300+ bees and 800+ wasps from the main trapping season and preparing to upload them to the volunteer portal database. Nest blocks from last summer were returned in the fall and set up for winter cold storage as with the previous years blocks. They will be reared in spring. We completed running a behavioral resin choice experiment in the greenhouse over the summer. We completed DNA extraction and sequencing of the first round of plant samples from bee nests. Volunteers and project staff and advisors tested a larval sampling method that we hope will provide backup for adult rearing and allow nest traps to be used for monitoring while preserving local bee populations. 

Rearing is nearly complete for the 2023 nest blocks, and as blocks are taken apart and cleaned we are cataloging and collecting any adults we find inside. Preparing pinning and identification and labeling of specimens is prime importance before the project ends. A second round of plant samples from bee nests have been extracted and sequencing data is expected shortly. A second round of resin samples from bee nests has also been sent for analysis and should be returned soon. Bee and wasp identifications from the 2022 nest blocks are uploaded to the volunteer website.

We are still analyzing results from DNA analysis of leaf material and gas chromatography of resin from nests.