Research & reports

Kulesh Bhandari · Open MIND · India

This first entry in a species documentation series on wild food forests in tribal Jharkhand, India, part of a Pollination Project-funded initiative, presents a field-based profile of Clerodendrum viscosum, a shrub of the Santhal Pargana uplands, recorded on a semi-open granite-laterite rise at 210 m elevation under conditions of 27°C, 30% relative humidity, a 15°C night low and wind gusts to about 35 kph. The profile documents microhabitat characteristics, morphology (bud, calyx, corolla, stamens), ethnobotanical use among Santhal-Paharia communities, and the species' ecological role as a pollinator-supporting, upland-stabilizing plant.

Sonia, Malti, Lavi Sharma · Journal of Science Innovations and Nature of Earth · India

A bird community survey around the town border and surrounding agricultural land of Baraut, Baghpat District, western Uttar Pradesh, India, used point-count arrays and random line transects across four habitat types: agricultural, woodland/orchard, urban and wetland. After filtering out domesticated livestock and urban feral populations from 21 field surveys, the study identified 16 "true wild" bird species spanning 10 orders and 15 families, with Passeriformes dominant at 43.75% (n=7) while the other nine orders each accounted for 6.25% (n=1) with no species shared across them. Foraging guild composition was 37.50% generalist omnivores (n=6), 26.25% carnivores (n=4), 18.75% insectivores (n=3), 12.50% frugivores (n=2) and 6.25% granivores (n=1). Habitat affinity was highest for agricultural farmland (37.50%, n=6), followed by woodland/orchard (25.00%, n=4), with urban and wetland tied at 18.75% (n=3) each. All species recorded are classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Chang X., Yan X., Lv F., Zhang Y., Breeze T. D., Li X. · Insects · Hanzhong, China

Documents pollinator resources and pollination networks in Hanzhong City, China, recording 80 pollinator species and 59 pollinated crop and wild nectar plant species, and evaluates the economic value of pollination services.

Yiran Li, Chengweiran Liu, Yiran Wang, Muhan Li, Shasha Zou, Xiaona Hu, Zhiwei Chen, Mingrui Li, Changsheng Ma, C. Jennifer, Xin Zhou, Yi Zou, Min Tang · Insect Science · China (Suzhou)

This study investigated the survival status of mason bees (Osmia excavata) across 10 urban agricultural sites in Suzhou, China, using shotgun gut metagenome sequencing. It found that ingested pollen primarily came from Brassica crops and Plantanus, indicating limited plant diversity. The gut bacterial community was stable across 8 sites but perturbed at 2, and antibiotic resistance gene profiles varied widely. Virome analysis identified honeybee pathogens and unknown bacteriophages.

Ehsan Rahimi, Chuleui Jung · Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment · South Korea

This study developed a methodology to identify optimal urban locations for pollinator-dependent crops in South Korea. Researchers generated habitat suitability maps for 243 pollinating insects across 10 major cities using species distribution models and Graphab 2.8 software. The analysis found a strong positive correlation between green space cluster modularity and pollinator distribution, indicating that areas with higher modularity have richer pollinator populations and are suitable for urban agriculture.

Hojun Choi, Min Kim, Jinhyung Chon · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea

A study structurally analyzed the socio-ecological system of honeybees, as pollinators, using systems thinking, in order to propose green space planning strategies to revitalize urban beekeeping. It analyzed the ecological structure of bees' foraging and pollination activities and the social-ecological structure of urban beekeeping through individual causal loop diagrams, then synthesized these into an integrated causal loop diagram. The resulting proposed strategies were citizen participation programs, local government investment, and the creation of urban parks and green spaces on idle land.

Myung‐Bok Lee · PeerJ · China

This study investigated how environmental features within and surrounding urban farmlands affected the abundance of Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) and cabbage white butterflies (Pieris rapae) in a megacity of China during winters. P. rapae abundance increased with local crop diversity but was strongly negatively associated with landscape-scale crop and weed covers. A. cerana responded positively to fine-scale flower cover, increased with local-scale weed cover, but decreased with increasing landscape-scale weed cover.

Mohd Zulkifli Muhammad, Mohd Zulkifli Muhammad, Reza Putra, Abdul Rahman, Ridho Hafis, Faizar Rianda · JURNAL HURRIAH Jurnal Evaluasi Pendidikan dan Penelitian · Indonesia

The A Bee Honey group in Gampong Alue Awe, Muara Dua subdistrict, implemented a pilot program for Trigona honey bee cultivation from August to November 2022. Despite its potential as an income source, honey supply does not consistently meet demand, and a lack of understanding regarding cultivation and economics reduces consumer interest. The community also does not fully comprehend the advantages and potential of trigona bee cultivation. Training was provided to educate the community on its potential as an alternative income source, resulting in five family heads joining the program.

Prem José Vazhacharickal, K. S. Jagadish, G. Eswarappa · Agricultural Reviews · India (Bengaluru)

This outlook study reviewed honey bee diversity and the potential for integrating honey bees into urban agriculture and forests in Bengaluru, India. An urban forestry study in Bengaluru identified 374 plant species, with the highest diversity in parks (291 species). Most plant species provided good foraging sources for honey bees, including Apis indica, Apis dorsata, Apis florea, and Trigona iridipennis. The urban agro-ecosystem in Bengaluru was found to be suitable for beekeeping, particularly for stingless bees.

Gabriel Marcacci, Ingo Graß, Vikas S. Rao, Shabarish Kumar S., K. B. Tharini, Vasuki V. Belavadi, Nils Nölke, Teja Tscharntke, Catrin Westphal · Ecological Applications · India

This study sampled bees across three seasons in 36 conventionally managed vegetable farms along an urbanization gradient in Bengaluru, a tropical megacity in India, to assess how urbanization affects the functional diversity of farmland pollinators. Functional responses were trait-specific: larger, solitary, cavity-nesting, and specialist bees benefited from urbanization, while ground-nesting bees increased in urban areas, in contrast to patterns seen in temperate cities. However, overall bee abundance and the abundance of social bees (85% of all bees sampled) decreased with urbanization, which the study identifies as a threat to crop pollination. Crop diversity promoted taxonomic and functional diversity, flower resources promoted abundance, and exotic plants decreased functional diversity and bee specialization. The authors recommend preserving semi-natural vegetation such as hedges, diversifying crops, maintaining native vegetation along field margins, and controlling invasive exotic plants.

서명훈, 이원석, 전명희, 김성기 · · South Korea

In South Korea, urban agriculture is being revitalized with the enactment of urban agriculture-related laws in 2011 and active promotion by local governments. The total urban agriculture area in Seoul and Gyeonggi regions is 251.6 ha, and urban gardens with diverse crops exhibit biodiversity, allowing for relatively flexible insect life cycles. However, challenges include unauthorized biological and chemical pest control due to multiple people managing small areas, and the absence of winter crops due to limited usage periods. Environmentally friendly insect management, utilizing natural enemies, traps, and biodiversity, is necessary for urban gardens.

Hongyuan Li · Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation · China (Tianjin)

An investigation of wild flowers in urban areas of Tianjin City was conducted from 2005 to 2010. The study examined the ecological habits, life forms, and distribution of each species, identifying six distinct distribution patterns: single, linear, scattered, assembled, radial, and climbing. Following an analysis of these patterns' characteristics, the potential use of these wild flowers in urban gardening was discussed.