A memorable Memorial Day Weekend began at Pella’s Big Rock Park with Dr. Paulina
Mena orchestrating a nature foray for an enthusiastic and multigenerational crowd on
Saturday, May 25, 2024. Dr. Mena provided context and displayed some of her
collection of bees and bee mimics so that we could see the difference in sizes and the
characteristics that distinguished the impersonators such as flies. When asked about the
honeybee, Dr. Mena noted that it was an invasive species and domesticated for
agriculture. She described it as more akin to a chicken than a cardinal. She answered
other questions, taught us how to net, and showed us the “net results” of bees,
dragonflies, beetles, flies, a crab spider, and other natural treasures. Dr. Mena’s
daughter and other children brought out a sense of wonder and delight as they shouted
out the name of each discovery. The mother of one of the children was asked if her
daughter always liked bees and bugs; the mother replied, "She does today!” We all
seemed captured by the excitement and celebration of invertebrates.
Attendees played with bee netting techniques , too.
As we noted in last year’s blog from April 25, 2023 about the “The Magnificent Splendor
of Native Bees,” Iowa has over 400 species of native bees, all better pollinators and
more well-adapted to our climate than the well-known but non-native honeybee. Iowa
bees have co-evolved with native Iowa plants. They are important to our Big Rock old
growth savannah ecosystem.
Even better, our native bees are mild mannered, having no hives to protect. Unlike
honeybees, they can sting many times but without venom, making the stings less
painful. Aggressive honeybees and wasps will tag intruders with pheromones and the
hive will follow them in attack mode. You’ll get none of this aggression with native bees.
Many native bees are specialized pollinators, fitting in well to their plant niches. Squash
bees for example are early risers, pollinating the morning blooming squash blossoms
and napping in the withered blossoms. Most native Iowa bees are buzz pollinators.
Buzz pollinators such as bumble bees and mason bees are essential for the pollination
of plants with deeply held pollen. Food crops such as eggplant, tomatoes, and
blueberries rely on these bees to produce fruit. These calm bees are not likely to sting.
Bumble bees nest in the ground and each magnificent queen can chose the sex of each
egg as she lays it. The queen will make a honey pot filled with nectar as a food storage
for herself as she incubates her eggs and for the emerging young.
It’s incredibly difficult to identify most native bees by sight. People who can do this,
taxonomists, are older and retiring. Modern bee enthusiasts use DNA testing to help
identify bees.
Over thirty unique species of bees who call Big Rock Park home have been identified by
Dr. Mena and her students. The most prevalent bees catalogued have been Augochlora
pura, a common bee that nests in rotting wood and is a walnut pollinator, Calliopsis
adreneformis, a ground nesting bee and important pollinator of many flowers, including
phlox, and Coelioxys modesta, a parasitic species and pollinator which nests in the soft
soil in the park. Another common bee is Megachile companulae, also known as the
Bellweather resin bee is a special pollinator of tall American Bellflower.
One of Dr. Mena’s exciting findings is that Big Rock Park may be the home of a formerly
undiscovered species of bees! This species would be in the genus Andrena and was
first found by Dr. Steve Johnson. This type of bee is an important native pollinator,
especially for apples and blueberries. Today we caught another bee in the Andrena
family and we will be eager to hear the “net results.”
Honeybees may be well-known but our native bees are hard working pollinators and we
need them. Ways to help them in your yard are to refrain from planting pesticide treated
seeds and to not burn downed wood in the early spring when the young Augochlora
bees are emerging. Our park is the perfect home for them. Let’s keep it that way!
For anyone looking for a good school lesson for and video about the magnificent bees
and related careers, click here.
Dr. Mena enjoyed this year’s foray too. When the directors of Friends of Big Rock Park
emailed her a thank you, she responded immediately; “Thank you so much for the
opportunity to do this. It’s so much fun to interact with people that want to learn about
nature. So many good questions!”
Thank you to Marion County Community Foundation and Pella Community Foundation
for sponsoring our scientists and events.
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