2nd Place: D3089: Honeybee pollinated plants on Guam

The European honeybee, Apis mellifera L., was introduced to the Island of Guam from Hawaii in 1907. Previous honeybee research on Guam focused on diseases, pests, and bee species in the Mariana Islands, but little is known about the floral sources used by island honeybees. To this end, pollen was collected from three hives at each of ten honeybee apiaries on Guam over the course of a year. Pollen samples from each apiary were metabarcoded by the Jonah Ventures Environmental DNA laboratory in Boulder, CO. Results of the metabarcoding were used to compile a list of plants pollinated by Guam honeybees to evaluate diet preferences and identify seasonal patterns in foraging. Early results show that honey bees on Guam consistently collect pollen from plants present on Guam throughout the year, irregardless of seasonal variation. These include but are not limited to Antigonon leptopus Flagellaria indica, Leucaena leucocephala, and Mimosa pudica. The identification of honeybee pollen preferences will assist local beekeepers and the local environmental and agricultural communities in developing integrated weed and insect management strategies with minimal impact on domestic and feral honeybee hives.