Many seed mix recommendations for creating pollinator habitat are in part based on anecdotal evidence or field observations of bees visiting forbs (i.e. use). However, there is limited information on what forbs are preferred by bees, particularly in working landscapes where bee forage may be limited. We examined floral resource selection by wild bees and honey bees on grasslands in the Midwest using a 5-year dataset containing over 8,000 plant-bee interactions. We observed wild bees visiting 83 forb species, but only 14 species were significantly selected (i.e. bees visited a plant more than expected based on availability). Approximately 70% of all wild bee visitations were on native flowers, whereas only 20% of all honey bee visitations were on natives. Honey bees visited 70 forb species, but only four forbs were significantly selected. The selection ratio for each forb species was not correlated with proportion of use by wild bees or honey bees, suggesting that bee visitation data alone do not elucidate patterns of forb selection or avoidance. We then compared our resource selection results to forbs recommended by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for regional pollinator habitat plantings. Many forbs that were selected by bees in our study were also recommended by USDA; however, some USDA-recommended forbs were selected against by bees. A greater understanding of which floral resources are selected by bees can assist land managers in assessing conservation seed mixes and ultimately provide diverse, season-long pollinator forage in working landscapes.

中文翻译：

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美国中西部野生蜜蜂和蜜蜂的花卉资源选择：对传粉者栖息地设计的影响

许多用于创建传粉媒介栖息地的种子混合建议部分基于蜜蜂访问异物（即使用）的轶事证据或现场观察。然而，关于蜜蜂偏爱哪些杂草的信息有限，特别是在蜜蜂饲料可能有限的工作环境中。我们使用包含超过 8,000 种植物-蜜蜂相互作用的 5 年数据集研究了中西部草原上的野生蜜蜂和蜜蜂对花卉资源的选择。我们观察到野生蜜蜂访问了 83 个杂种，但只有 14 个物种被显着选择（即蜜蜂访问植物的次数超过了基于可用性的预期）。大约 70% 的野生蜜蜂访问是在本地花卉上，而所有蜜蜂访问中只有 20% 是在本地花卉上。蜜蜂访问了 70 种杂种，但只有四种杂种被显着选择。每个杂种的选择率与野生蜜蜂或蜜蜂的使用比例无关，这表明蜜蜂访问数据本身并不能阐明杂种选择或避免的模式。然后，我们将我们的资源选择结果与美国农业部 (USDA) 推荐的用于区域传粉媒介栖息地种植的杂草进行了比较。美国农业部也推荐了我们研究中蜜蜂选择的许多杂种；然而，蜜蜂选择了一些美国农业部推荐的forbs。更好地了解蜜蜂选择哪些花卉资源可以帮助土地管理者评估保护性种子组合，并最终在工作环境中提供多样化、季节性长的授粉草料。表明单独的蜜蜂访问数据并不能阐明 forb 选择或避免的模式。然后，我们将我们的资源选择结果与美国农业部 (USDA) 推荐的用于区域传粉媒介栖息地种植的杂草进行了比较。美国农业部也推荐了我们研究中蜜蜂选择的许多杂种；然而，蜜蜂选择了一些美国农业部推荐的forbs。更好地了解蜜蜂选择哪些花卉资源可以帮助土地管理者评估保护性种子组合，并最终在工作环境中提供多样化、季节性长的授粉草料。表明单独的蜜蜂访问数据并不能阐明 forb 选择或避免的模式。然后，我们将我们的资源选择结果与美国农业部 (USDA) 推荐的用于区域传粉媒介栖息地种植的杂草进行了比较。美国农业部也推荐了我们研究中蜜蜂选择的许多杂种；然而，蜜蜂选择了一些美国农业部推荐的forbs。更好地了解蜜蜂选择哪些花卉资源可以帮助土地管理者评估保护性种子组合，并最终在工作环境中提供多样化、季节性长的授粉草料。美国农业部也推荐了我们研究中蜜蜂选择的许多杂种；然而，蜜蜂选择了一些美国农业部推荐的forbs。更好地了解蜜蜂选择哪些花卉资源可以帮助土地管理者评估保护性种子组合，并最终在工作环境中提供多样化、季节性长的授粉草料。美国农业部也推荐了我们研究中蜜蜂选择的许多杂种；然而，蜜蜂选择了一些美国农业部推荐的forbs。更好地了解蜜蜂选择哪些花卉资源可以帮助土地管理者评估保护性种子组合，并最终在工作环境中提供多样化、季节性长的授粉草料。