Landscape AND CLIMATE effects on bee health
Local landscape conditions, weather and climate can greatly impact the survival and health of managed and wild bees. We are evaluating how these factors influence honey bee winter survival, honey bee colony weight change dynamics, wild bee abundance and diversity, and bumble bee pathogen and parasite loads. Our studies are demonstrating that weather and climate are significant drivers of bee health outcomes, and often conditions from the previous season are the most important drivers, likely through impacts on the bees’ ability to collect adequate resources from the local flowering plant community. Moreover, our studies have demonstrated that spring and summer bee communities respond differently to landscape and weather conditions, and highlighted important habitats and floral communities that can best support these populations.
Figure from Kammerer et al (2021) Global Change Biology
References:
Sisk, G., Ostroski, A, Dillard, T., Hall, B., Goslee, S.C., Grozinger, C.M., Khanna, V., and H. Grab. “Unraveling microclimate effects on pollinator foraging and crop yield in lowbush blueberry” Agriculture, Ecosystems and the Environment 392 (2025): 109734 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.109734 (2025)
Quinlan, G., Doser, J.W., Kammerer, M. and C.M. Grozinger. “Estimating genus-specific effects of non-native honey bees and urbanization on wild bee communities: A case study in Maryland, United States”. Science of the Total Environment, 175783 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175783 (2024)
Kammerer, M., Iverson, A. L., Li, K., Tooker, J. F., and Grozinger, C. M. “Seasonal bee communities vary in their responses to resources at local and landscape scales: implication for land managers”. Landscape Ecology, 39(5), 97 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-024-01895-z (2024)
Quinlan, G. M., Miller, D.A.W., and C.M. Grozinger. “Examining spatial and temporal drivers of pollinator nutritional resources: Evidence from five decades of honey bee colony productivity data” Environmental Research Letters 18(11): 114018 DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/acff0c (2023)
Gratton, E.M., McNeil, D.J., Grozinger, C.M., and H.M. Hines. “Local habitat type influences bumble bee pathogen loads and bee species distributions” Environmental Entomology 52 (3), 491-501 https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvad027 (2023)
Quinlan, G.M., Sponsler, D., Gaines-Day, H.R., McMinn-Sauder, H.B.G., Otto, C.R.V., Smart, A.H., Colin, T., Gratton, C., Isaacs, R., Johnson, R., Milbrath, M.O., and C. M. Grozinger. “Grassy–herbaceous land moderates regional climate effects on honey bee colonies in the Northcentral U.S.” Environmental Research Letters 17:064036 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac7063 (2022)
Kammerer, M. Iverson, A.L., Li, K., Tooker, J.F., and C.M. Grozinger. “Seasonal bee communities vary in their responses to spatial scale and habitat: implication for land managers” (in review).
Kammerer, M., Goslee, S., Douglas, M.R., Tooker, J.F., Grozinger, C.M. “Wild bees as winners and losers: relative impacts of landscape composition, quality, and climate.” Global Change Biology January 12 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15485 (2021)
Calovi, M., Grozinger. C., Miller, D., Goslee, S. “Summer weather conditions influence winter survival of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the northeastern United States” Scientific Reports 11: 1553 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81051-8 (2021)
Lee, M.R., McNeil, D.J., Mathis, C.L., Grozinger, C.M., and J.L. Larkin, “Microhabitats created by log landings support abundant flowers and insect pollinators within regenerating mixed-oak stands in the Central Appalachian Mountains”. Forest Ecology and Management 497: 119472 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119472 (2021).
Mathis, C.L., McNeil, D.J., Lee, M.R., Grozinger, C.M., King, D.I., Otto, C.R.V., and J. L. Larkin. “Pollinator communities vary with vegetation structure and time since management within regenerating timber harvests of the Central Appalachian Mountains” Forest Ecology and Management 496: 119373 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119373 (2021).
McNeil, D.J., McCormick, E., Heimann, A., Kammerer, M., Douglas, M., Goslee, S.C., Grozinger, C.M., and H. M. Hines. “Bumble Bees in Landscapes with Abundant Floral Resources Have Lower Pathogen Loads”. Scientific Reports 10(1), 1-12 (2020)
Kammerer, M., Tooker, J.F. and C.M. Grozinger. “A long-term dataset on wild bee abundance in Mid-Atlantic United States” Scientific Data 7, 240. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-00577-0 (2020)