Predicting the Africanized Honey Bee Distribution Using Forage Species Maps and Satellite Phenology
Wayne
E.
Esaias, NASA/GSFC, wayne.e.esaias@nasa.gov
(Presenting)
Joanne
M.
Nightingale, NASA/GSFC, jnight@ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov
Robert
M.
Wolfe, NASA/GSFC, robert.e.wolfe@nasa.gov
Jaime
E.
Nickeson, NASA/GSFC, jaime.nickeson@nasa.gov
Peter
L.
Ma, NASA/GSFC, pete.ma@nasa.gov
Catherine
S
Jarnevich, USGS/BRD, jarnevichc@usgs.gov
Thomas
J
Stohlgren, USGS/BRD, tom_stohlgren@usgs.gov
The European honey bee (EHB) is facing two extremely serious issues that are impacting agricultural pollination and honey production in the United States. The expanding presence of the invasive Africanized Honey Bee (AHB) and the spread of pests and disease within managed EHB populations that cause major colony losses are also the most highly publicized. The primary objective of our research is to improve prediction of the equilibrium range of both the AHB and EHB within the US, and to determine the impact of both urbanization and global warming on this equilibrium range.
We will use a network of hives placed on scales to monitor honey bee and forage plant interactions through temporal changes in hive weight. This novel capability will be used to relate nectar flows to phenological information derived from MODIS vegetation indices. A 15-year time series indicates that the nectar flow in central Maryland, for example, occurs nearly a month earlier now than in historical records. Earlier nectar flows may have a noticeable impact on ecosystems, and on the availability of honey bee colonies for spring pollination. The earlier onset of nectar flows is consistent with increases in local winter temperatures associated with urbanization and warming and with the earlier blooming dates of major nectar plants.
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