Seasonality and alternative floral resources affect reproductive success of the alfalfa leafcutting bee, .

Background: Managed populations of the alfalfa leafcutting bee (ALCB), (F.), are often not sustainable. In addition to numerous mortality factors that contribute to this, the dense bee populations used to maximize alfalfa pollination quickly deplete floral resources available to bees later in the summer.

Effects of Temperature and Wildflower Strips on Survival and Macronutrient Stores of the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) Under Extended Cold Storage.

Megachile rotundata (F.) is an important pollinator of alfalfa in the United States. Enhancing landscapes with wildflowers is a primary strategy for conserving pollinators and may improve the sustainability of M.

Mortality Dynamics and Life Tables of Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), a Pollinator Managed for Alfalfa Seed Production.

The alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (F.), contributes to the pollination of more than two-thirds of alfalfa used in seed production in North America. However, losses in managed populations of more than 50% are common in the United States.

Ground-Dwelling Arthropod Community Response to Livestock Grazing: Implications for Avian Conservation.

Terrestrial arthropods are a critical component of rangeland ecosystems that convert primary production into resources for higher trophic levels. During spring and summer, select arthropod taxa are the primary food of breeding prairie birds, of which many are imperiled in North America. Livestock grazing is globally the most widespread rangeland use and can affect arthropod communities directly or indirectly through herbivory.

Checklist of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) from small diversified vegetable farms in south-western Montana.

Background: Over three years (2013-2015), we sampled bees using nets and bowl traps on four diversified vegetable farms in Gallatin County, Montana, USA, as part of a study evaluating the use of wildflower strips for supporting wild bees and crop pollination services on farmlands (Delphia et al. In prep). We document 202 species and morphospecies from 32 genera within five families, of which 25 species represent the first published state records for Montana.

Acute Toxicity of Permethrin, Deltamethrin, and Etofenprox to the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee.

Current regulatory requirements for insecticide toxicity to nontarget insects focus on the honey bee, Apis mellifera (L.; Hymenoptera: Apidae), but this species cannot represent all insect pollinator species in terms of response to insecticides. Therefore, we characterized the toxicity of pyrethroid insecticides used for adult mosquito management (permethrin, deltamethrin, and etofenprox) on a nontarget insect, the adult alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (F.

The Effects of an Ultra-low-Volume Application of Etofenprox for Mosquito Management on Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) Larvae and Adults in an Agricultural Setting.

The alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata F. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), is one of the most intensively managed solitary bees and greatly contributes to alfalfa production in both the United States and Canada. Although production of certain commodities, especially alfalfa seed, has become increasingly dependent on this species' pollination proficiency, little information is known about how M.

Seasonal trends in the condition of nesting females of a solitary bee: wing wear, lipid content, and oocyte size.

During the nesting season, adult females of the solitary bee Megachile rotundata (F.) face considerable physical and energy demands that could include increasing wear and tear on their bodies and decreasing lipid reserves. Consequently, their reproductive performance may be affected not only by extrinsic factors (e.

Effects of livestock grazing on grasshopper abundance on a native rangeland in Montana.

Livestock grazing can affect habitat quality for grasshoppers through effects on food and oviposition site availability, microclimate, and other factors. Because of this, some authors have suggested that grazing programs can be used to help manage pest grasshopper populations. In a 6-yr study, we controlled access of cattle to replicated experimental plots on an Agropyron spicatum/Poa sandbergii pasture to create consistent year-to-year differences in postgrazing plant cover, with resultant affects on microclimate.

Impact of livestock grazing on abundance of Miridae and Reduviidae (Hemiptera) in crested wheatgrass pastures.

Miridae of the genera Labops and Irbisia, collectively referred to as "black grass bugs," can cause significant damage to wheatgrasses (Poaceae) of several genera on western North American rangeland. Another mirid in the same area, Capsus cinctus (Kolenati), causes damage to bluegrass (Poa spp.).

Short-term dynamics of behavioral thermoregulation by adults of the grasshopper Melanoplus sanguinipes.

The short-term behavioral responses of adult grasshoppers, Melanoplus sanguinipes (F.) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), were examined after they experienced changes in microclimate when beingforced to change positions in their habitat. It was also determined if and when behavioral tactics allowed adults to achieve body temperatures within their preferred range.