Competition between honeybees (Apis mellifera) and native solitary bees in the Mediterranean region of Israel—Implications for conservation

• Published in: Israel journal of plant sciences Vol. 57; no. 3; pp. 171 - 183
• Main Authors: Shavit, Ofrit, Dafni, Amots, Ne'eman, Gidi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Science From Israel, a Division of LPPLtd 01.01.2009
• Subjects: Apis mellifera; beehives; biodiversity; conservation areas; crops; fauna; foraging; geographical distribution; honey bees; indigenous species; Magnoliophyta; national parks; pollination; solitary bees; temporal variation; Mediterranean region; Israel

The hypothesis that honeybees (Apis mellifera) compete for floral resources with native bees was studied mainly in areas outside the original range of the honeybees, i.e., where they are introduced. We studied the effect of honeybees on the foraging behavior of native solitary bees in Israel, within...