ABS 2023
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Honey Bee Colony Pollen Foraging Preferences and Food Plant Availability in Northern New Jersey
Cole F Moran-Bariso, David C Gilley. William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey, United States

Phenological mismatch between flowering plants and insect pollinators driven by climate change is leading to pollinator decline. Honeybees are an important model system due to the economic value of honeybee pollination�and the role they play in ecosystems worldwide. This project investigates honeybee colony pollen foraging preferences and how they change over time in an urbanized environment. To�determine pollen foraging preferences throughout the active season, 24-hour pollen samples from two roof-top apiary colonies were collected weekly. These pollen samples were used to identify�and quantify abundances�of source plants via�hemocytometry over an entire season.�To determine the food source plants from which the bees were choosing at each pollen sample, regional bloom dates were determined via weekly field assays within foraging range. Resulting patterns include the frequency of a colony's collection from long and short-term�blooming species, distinctions in preferences between invasive and native species, along with the extent of similarities and differences in foraging patterns between two colonies, providing a detailed benchmark of colony behaviors driven by climate change.