Flower-Visiting Insects of American Chestnut Orchards in New York, and First Contemporary State Record of Andrena rehni Viereck

Molly M. Jacobson^1,* and Hannah C. Pilkey¹

¹State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse NY 13210. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Issue 3 (2024): 313–331

First published early online: 3 August 2024

Abstract
Castanea dentata (American Chestnut) was likely an important floral resource for a variety of insects in pre-blight eastern forests, including the rare oligolectic bee Andrena rehni, and insects may have played a significant role in the tree’s pollination. We surveyed 2 chestnut orchards in New York in 2023 for insect visitors to male catkins. We recorded 66 species and retrieved pollen samples from 49 specimens across 6 families. Andrena rehni was documented after a 119-year absence in the state, and for all specimens, only Castanea pollen was detected in their pollen loads. Honeybees, bumblebees, and sweat bees also intentionally collected chestnut pollen, while longhorn beetles and soldier flies had the highest rates of carrying chestnut pollen incidentally. Our findings support the existing idea that some insects, like beetles, have the potential to contribute to chestnut pollination, and that American Chestnut provides pollen and nectar to a diversity of insects in northeastern landscapes.

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