Professor Emeritus
Professor Emeritus
Urban entomology
The research focus in my lab is on the behavioral ecology and community organization of solitary bee species in selected environments in California and Costa Rica. During the past 21 years we have been documenting bee diversity, seasonality, and host plant preferences of most species at several northern California sites and three sites in a seasonal dry forest in Costa Rica. For several temperate and tropical species, we are also systematically monitoring changes in annual bee frequencies and documenting the types of mortality factors that may be related to the observed fluctuations recorded. During the past five years the research has shifted from pure wildland studies to comparative bee studies in wildlands and urban residential gardens. This shift has resulted from the discovery in my lab that urban residential areas can support high diversities of local bee species. The new work is also related to the phenomenon of global pollinator decline and the broad search for new ways to conserve and protect pollinators in a variety of habitats, including urban. New studies pursuing the comparative examination are in progress throughout California and in several sites in Costa Rica.
Current Projects
Rozen, J. G., Jr., B. Vinson, R. Coville, and G.W. Frankie 2010. Biology and Morphology of the immature stages of the cleptoparasitic bee: Coelioxys chichimeca (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae). American Museum Novitates. No. 3679 1-26. Pawelek, J., G.W. Frankie, R. Thorp, and R. Coville 2010. Starting your own native bee sanctuary. Pacific Horticultre. 71 (2):16-19. Frankie, G. W. M. Rizzardi, S. B. Vinson, and T. L. Griswold. 2009. Decline in bee diversity and abundance from 1972-2004 on a flowering leguminous tree, Andira inermis in Costa Rica at the interface of disturbed dry forest and the urban environment. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 82:1-20. Frankie, G. W. et al. (+9 authors) 2009. Native bees are a rich natural resource in urban California gardens. California Agriculture. 63:113-120. Frankie, G.W., R.W. Thorp, J.C. Pawelek, J. Hernandez and R. Coville. 2009. Urban bee diversity in a small residential garden in northern California. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 18:368-379. Hernandez, J., G.W. Frankie, et al. 2009. Ecology of Urban Bees: Review of current knowledge and directions for future study. Cities and the Environment 2(1):1-13 http://escholarship.bc.edu/cate/vol2/iss2/7 Pawelek, J. C., G. W. Frankie, R. W. Thorp, and M. Przybylaski. 2009. Modification of a community garden to attract native bee pollinators in urban San Luis Obispo, California. Cities and the Environment 2(1):1-20 http://escholarship.bc.edu/cate/vol2/iss2/7 Wojcik, V. A., G. W. Frankie, R. W. Thorp, and J. L. Hernandez. 2008. Seasonality in bees and their floral resource plants at a constructed urban bee habitat in Berkeley, California. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 81:15-28. Vinson, S.B., G.W. Frankie, H.J. Williams. 2006. Nest liquid resources of several cavity nesting bees in the genus Centris and the identification of a preservative, levulinic acid. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 32(9):2013-2021. Frankie, G.W. et al. 2005. Ecological Patterns of Bees and Their Host Ornamental Flowers in Two Northern California Cities. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 78: 227-246. Frankie, G.W. et al. 2005. Changing Bee Composition and Frequency on a Flowering Legume, Andira inermis, During El Niño and La Niña Years (1997-1999) in Northwestern Costa Rica. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 78:100-117. Frankie, G.W. 2004. Urban Bee Gardening Website. http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens Frankie, G.W. et al (eds). 2004. Biodiversity Conservation in Costa Rica: Learning the Lessons in a Seasonal Dry Forest. University of California Press, Berkeley 341 pp. Frankie, G.W. et al. 2004. Flowering phenology and pollination systems diversity in the seasonal dry forest. Chpt in G.W. Frankie et al (eds), Biodiversity Conservation in Costa Rica: Learning the Lessons in a Seasonal Dry Forest. University of California Press, Berkeley pp 17-29. Frankie, G.W. and Throp, R.W. 2003. Pollination and Pollinators. (pp. 919-926). Chpt. In V. Resh and R. Carde (eds.) Encyclopedia of Insects. Academic Press. Frankie, G.W. et al. 2002. Coexistence of Africanized honey bees and native bees in the Costa Rican seasonal dry forest (pp. 327-339) Chpt. in E.H. Erickson et al. (eds) Proc. Of 2nd International Conference on Africanized Honey Bees and Bee Mites. A.I. Root Co. Medina, Ohio. Vinson, S.B. and G.W. Frankie. 1999. Nesting behavior of Centris flavofasciatus (Hymenoptera: Apidea) with respect to the source of the cell wall. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 72:46-59. Frankie, G.W. et al. (7 authors). 1998. Monitoring solitary bees in modified wildland habitats: Implications for bee ecology and conservation. Environmental Entomology 27:5
- 24 - FRESHMAN SEMINAR
- 90 - INTRO TO CRS
- 98 - DIRECTED GROUP STDY
- 99 - SUPERV INDEP STUDY
- 100 - Environmental Problem Solving
- 194 - SEM IN C RES ST
- 195 - Senior Thesis
- H196 - HONORS RESEARCH
- 197 - FIELD STUDY
- 198 - DIRECTED GROUP STDY
- 199 - SUPERV INDEP STUDY
- 299 - INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH
Contact details
Gordon Frankie
By Appointment
UC Berkeley
130 Mulford Hall #3114
Berkeley, CA 94720