Comparing the spring diet of buff-tailed bumble bees and honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a forest landscape: a metabarcoding approach.

ABSTRACT: The declining diversity of pollinators is a major threat to ecosystem conservation, pollination services, and global food security. Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) dominate managed pollination, but their dominance can affect other pollinators. Competition for resources can lead to decreased foraging success and survival rates for other bee species, including other eusocial bees such as bumble bees. This study explores the floral diet of honey bees and buff-tailed bumble bees (Bombus terrestris L.) using metabarcoding of honey (for honey bees) and of wax pots' contents (for bumble bees), based on 3 molecular markers (ITS2, trnL g-h, and trnL c-h) in Médoc, France. Molecular markers detected different species pools, indicating a high diversity of plants visited by both species. The 'marker' e

SUBMITTER: Gay C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12361890 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature