Bee nesting resources: the missing element of sustainable crop pollination

项目动机和目标(300字)：背景和挑战：果树的产量、质量和商业价值至少在一定程度上取决于授粉服务。几个项目，包括一些与WFL合作的项目，已经证明果园中盛开鲜花的地带可以促进传粉者的食物。要对这些系统进行微调，还有一些工作要做，但基本原理和应用已经确立。然而，支持更多的传粉者并不总是转化为授粉服务和生产的实际提升。缺少一个关键要素。水果作物的主要传粉者是蜜蜂(特别是苹果的地面筑巢蜜蜂)，因此，要可持续地供应传粉者，除了饲料外，还需要提供一个居住的地方。机会：我们对为果树授粉的蜜蜂的筑巢要求有一些基本知识，WFL和雷丁进行了一项试点研究，探索一种简单的管理干预措施，增加野生蜜蜂筑巢的裸地面积。然而，创建嵌套资源的方法有很多，需要探索这些方法，以便将其有效性和可行性纳入现有的管理做法。我们有一个由网站和专家组成的网络来支持博士生确定最有效和可行的最佳实践。研究计划(300字)：总体方法：我们将调查果园并记录栖息地条件，以确定地面筑巢蜜蜂最喜欢的地区。我们将与种植者合作，测试各种不同的方法(例如，刮刮、浅沟、小河岸)，以利用与正常果园管理兼容的小规模田间试验来重新创造这些条件。成本：效益分析将评估授粉服务的建立、维护和潜在提升的成本以及每个干预措施的商业分级。具体方法：1.对筑巢聚集体进行调查，以测量土壤、坡向、坡度和植被参数。这将与文献回顾相结合，以确定最受欢迎(和范围)的筑巢条件(第一年)。对蜜蜂种群进行建模。将使用现有聚集体的数据(自建立以来的年龄和寄生虫载量)来评估聚集体的健康状况如何随时间变化(第2-3年)。当地殖民实验。新创建的栖息地的殖民率(根据1.将记录与已建立的聚合相邻的数据(第2-3年)。开发和测试干预措施。在没有目标蜂群筑巢的地点，我们将制定干预措施，以提高当地的种群数量。干预的类型将基于产出1-3。我们将使用BACI设计，在有干预和没有干预的两个地点(S)监测我们引入的筑巢基质的占有率，以及我们目标物种的当地丰富度(诱捕器和定时横断面走道)。成本：收益分析将评估干预措施的成本(学生身份)和授粉收益(来自正在进行的BBSRC项目的数据)(3-4年)。预期结果：(1)可持续地提高授粉服务和产量的经验证的工具。(2)有力的证据支持一种廉价的创新，这种创新可以改造成任何商业果园。(3)种植者最佳实践指南。

Project motivation and aims (<300 words):Background and challenge: Fruit crops depend, at least in part, on pollination services for yield, quality and commercial value. Several projects, including some with WFL, have demonstrated that flower-rich strips in orchards can boost food for pollinators. There is still some work to fine tune these systems, but the basic principles and applications are established. However, supporting more pollinators doesn't always translate in to actual uplifts in pollination services and production. A key element is missing. The main pollinators of fruits crops are bees (especially ground-nesting bees for apples), therefore to sustainably supply pollinators requires the provision of a place to live in addition to forage.Opportunity: We have some basic knowledge on the nesting requirements of the bees that pollinate fruit crops, and WFL and Reading have a pilot study exploring a simple management intervention to increase the area of bare ground for wild bees to nest in. However, there are many ways to create nesting resources and these need to be explored for their effectiveness and feasibility to be incorporated into existing management practices. We have a network of sites and experts to support a PhD student to identify the most effective and feasible best practices.Programme of research(<300words):Overall approach: We will survey orchards and record habitat conditions to characterise the areas which ground nesting bees most favour. We will work with growers to test a variety of different approaches (e.g. scrapes, shallow ditches, small banks) to re-create these conditions using small scale field trials which are compatible with normal orchard management. A cost:benefit analysis will assess the cost of establishment, maintenance and potential uplift in pollination services and commercial grading of each intervention.Specific methods:1. Surveys of nesting aggregations to measure soil, aspect, slope, vegetation parameters from >30 aggregations. This will be combined with a literature review to identify the most favoured (and range of) conditions preferred for nesting (year 1).2. Modelling bee populations. Data from existing aggregations (age since establishment and parasite loads) will be used to assess how the health of aggregations changes over time (years 2-3).3. Local colonisation experiments. Colonisation rates of newly created habitats (based on characteristics identified in 1.) adjacent to established aggregations will be recorded (years 2-3).4. Developing and testing interventions. In sites without nesting aggregations of the target bee species, we will develop interventions to enhance local populations. The type of intervention will be based on outputs 1-3. We will use a BACI design with pairs of sites with and without the intervention(s) to monitor the occupancy of our introduced nesting substrates, and the local abundance of our target species (pantraps and timed transect walks). A cost:benefit analysis will assess the costs of the intervention (this studentship) and benefits to pollination (data from ongoing BBSRC project) (years 3-4).Expected Outcomes: (1) A proven tool to sustainably enhance pollination services and production. (2) Robust evidence to underpin a cheap to establish innovation which can be retrofitted to any commercial orchard. (3) A best practice guide for growers.