Vaccinium-pollinator

Guides

• Habropoda laboriosa

  Southeastern Blueberry Bee, Blueberry Digger Bee

  Habropoda laboriosa is a solitary ground-nesting bee in the family Apidae, native to the eastern United States. It is an oligolectic specialist pollinator of blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), for which it is the most efficient known pollinator due to its buzz pollination behavior. The species is active for only 3-5 weeks annually, synchronized with early spring blueberry bloom. It nests in aggregations in sandy soils and has been estimated to provide $20 per individual in blueberry pollination services.

  oligolecticspecialist-pollinatorbuzz-pollinationsolitary-beeground-nestingeconomic-importanceearly-spring-emergenceVaccinium-pollinator