For #PollinatorWeek2021 we’re excited to showcase some fun info about bee pollinators, especially ones we work with in the López-Uribe Lab. Today is all about squash bees!
A thread:
Squash bees are ground nesting solitary bees that pollinate plants in the genus Cucurbita, such as pumpkins, squash, zucchini, and other gourds.
Squash bees do look similar to honey bees but ecologically they are very different. Honey bees live in huge hives and squash bees are solitary. Here are tips to help you tell them apart
There are 22 species of squash bees!
Squash bees have expanded across North America in the last 5000 years along with the domestication of a variety of the plants they pollinate.
In Pennsylvania there are over 400 species of bees, in the US there are over 4000.
A survey of the general public found that "only 14%
of people were able to guess within 1000 the actual number of bee species in the US" digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewconten…
With over 90 different crops relying on bees for their pollination services, we have to take a moment this week to thank a bee for the food on our tables. #PollinatorWeek2021 2/n
Here are a variety of crops that 50% or more of their yield is dependent on pollinators, we would probably not have these foods without our insect friends! #PollinatorWeek2021 3/n