Occurrence of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) in the Sea of Cortes southern islands: a pathway to invasion or transient visitors?

Abstract

The honey bee, Apis mellifera, is a non-native species in America that has great economic importance for crop pollination and honey exports but also is a strong competitor for the native bees. Wild colonies of honey bees may particularly impact the native bee fauna on islands negatively by competing for limited nectar and pollen resources. The southern islands of the Gulf of California were surveyed in 2018 in the most recent scientific expedition since the last one made in 1921. The presence of honey bees was recorded in twelve of fourteen sampled islands for the first time. These new records should encourage further surveys and monitoring, in order to detect if honey bees already have established viable colonies or if they are transient visitors.