@article { ISI:000260976700008,
	title = {Potential of bigleaf lupine for building and sustaining Osmia lignaria populations for pollination of apple},
	journal = {CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST},
	volume = {140},
	number = {{5}},
	year = {2008},
	pages = {589-599},
	abstract = {Bees of the genus Osmia Panzer (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) are among the contenders to replace honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Apidae), for pollinating tree-fruit crops. One species, Osmia lignaria Say, has shown great potential in western North America and was recently introduced into Nova Scotia for evaluation as a pollinator of apple, Malus Mill. (Rosaceae). A major component of that study was to develop management options for O. lignaria, including methods of sustaining nesting females following crop flowering to maximize Population recovery for pollination in subsequent seasons. The objective of this study was to evaluate bigleaf lupine, Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. (Fabaceae), as a secondary food plant for nesting female O. lignaria by investigating nesting activity, pollen-Use patterns, and fecundity. During 2002-2003, female O. lignaria collected high proportions of apple pollen (>70\%) during mid and late flowering; after then, most pollen (>90\%) was collected from bigleaf lupine. The flowering period Of lupine in Nova Scotia (late May to early July) slightly overlapped that of apple, so there was no scarcity of pollen resources during the life-span of O. lignaria. Most nests typically showed high levels (<= 200\%) of population growth, but recorded levels varied among nest types and locations. In 2004, nests closer to lupine plots exhibited significantly greater population recovery than nests located farther away (i.e., approximately 600 m). Bigleaf lupine is a suitable plant species for meeting the pollen requirements of nesting populations of O. lignaria following apple flowering, thus promoting the recovery of populations to meet apple pollination requirements in subsequent seasons.},
	issn = {0008-347X},
	author = {Sheffield, Cory S. and Westby, Sue M. and Smith, Robert F. and Kevan, Peter G.}
}
@article { ISI:000258272900011,
	title = {Summer bees for spring crops? Potential problems with Megachile rotundata (Fab.) (Hymenoptera : Megachilidae) as a pollinator of lowbush blueberry (Ericaceae)},
	journal = {JOURNAL OF THE KANSAS ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY},
	volume = {81},
	number = {{3}},
	year = {2008},
	pages = {276-287},
	abstract = {The alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata (Fab.) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), was introduced into the lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium and V. myrtilloides (Ericaceae), agro-ecosystems of Atlantic Canada and the state of Maine in the early 1990{\textquoteright}s. As a managed pollinator of this crop, this typical {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}summer-active{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} bee is released approximately one month earlier than for alfalfa pollination and therefore is exposed to a different set of climatological conditions, primarily night time temperatures which can reach as low as -8 degrees C during flowering. The objectives of this study were to investigate aspects of cold-hardiness in post-diapausing M. rotundata, and to determine the potential effects of subzero temperatures on adult females through studies of supercooling capacity and survival at low temperatures. Post-diapausing M. rotundata maintain a supercooling capacity below -23 degrees C until pupation, after which all developmental stages freeze between -15 degrees C and -17 degrees C. Fed and unfed adult females show significant differences in their supercooling capacity; -8 degrees C and -16 degrees C, respectively. Bees which have fed showed very little susceptibility to temperatures above -5 degrees C, but mortality significantly increased at -10 degrees C, and was 100\% at -15 degrees C. As such, M. rotundata populations are likely susceptible to unusually cool night time temperatures when used for lowbush blueberry pollination. The implications of earlier release times on bee biology and population recovery for pollination are discussed.},
	issn = {{0022-8567}},
	doi = {10.2317/JKES-710.23.1},
	author = {Sheffield, Cory S.}
}
