Establishment of the non-native horned-face bee Osmia cornifrons and the taurus mason bee Osmia taurus (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Canada

Established populations of the non-native horned-face bee, (Radoszkowski, 1887), and the taurus mason bee, Smith, 1873 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), have been identified from Canada for the first time. In the US, the importation of , beginning in the 1970s, led to its release for agricultural crop po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) CA), 2022-12, Vol.10, p.e14216-e14216, Article e14216
Main Authors: MacIvor, J Scott, de Keyzer, Charlotte W, Marshall, Madison S, Thurston, Graham S, Onuferko, Thomas M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Animals
Bee hotel
Bees
Conservation Biology
DNA barcode
Ecology
Entomology
Hymenoptera
Importation
Indigenous species
Invasive species
Megachilidae
Nests
Nonnative species
Ontario
Osmia cornifrons
Osmia taurus
Plant reproduction
Pollination
Population growth
Quebec
Research programs
Sampling
Trap nest
Urban ecology
Zoology
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Summary:Established populations of the non-native horned-face bee, (Radoszkowski, 1887), and the taurus mason bee, Smith, 1873 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), have been identified from Canada for the first time. In the US, the importation of , beginning in the 1970s, led to its release for agricultural crop pollination and spread across the country. In this article, we report on captured while sampling wild bees in Toronto, Ontario using hand nets, bug vacuums, and vane traps, as well as established populations in trap nests, from 2017-2020. The morphologically similar , which was accidentally introduced to the US with shipments of imported , was also recorded in our samples. Recently, a few individual specimens have been identified from Ontario and Quebec; however, the extent of our sampling included nests, indicating it is also established in Canada. Others have shown its population growth to have been associated with concordant declines in abundances of native mason bee species in the US, and similar impacts are possible in Canada if action is not taken. We propose three non-mutually exclusive possible pathways for the arrival of , as well as , in Canada: (1) natural migration northward from non-native populations in the US, (2) international importation in the 1980s-2000s to support agricultural research programs, and (3) unintentional release of mason bee cocoons purchased from non-local vendors. We argue that a focus on enhancing populations of locally occurring native bees and stronger policy on the importation and sale of non-native bees are needed.
ISSN:2167-8359
2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.14216