Editing Ophrys apifera (section)

== Habitat and ecology ==
''Ophrys apifera'' generally grows on semi-dry [[Sod|turf]], in [[grassland]], on limestone, calcareous dunes or in open areas in woodland. It prefers well-drained calcareous soils, low in nutrients, in bright light or dim light.<ref name="livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk">[https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3022579/ PhD Thesis of the University of Liverpool – Diversity and Roles of Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Bee Orchid Ophrys Apifera]</ref> It is a major colonizer of sites disturbed by human activity, such as old quarries, roadside verges and airfields.<ref name="n1500">{{cite book|author=I. F. La Croix|title=The New Encyclopedia of Orchids: 1500 Species in Cultivation|publisher=Timber Press|year=2008|isbn=9780881928761|edition=illustrated|page=320}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Ecological Engineering: Bridging Between Ecology and Civil Engineering |editor= Hein van Bohemen |publisher= Uitgeverij Æneas BV |year= 2005 |isbn= 9789075365719 |page= 224}}</ref> ''O. apifera'' is one of the most likely European orchid species to establish itself within towns and cities.

In order to extract sufficient nutrients from the substrata it grows in, ''Ophrys apifera'' relies upon a symbiotic relationship with [[mycorrhizal fungi]] in the genus ''[[Tulasnella]]'', and possibly other genera.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3732/ajb.0900354 | doi=10.3732/ajb.0900354 | title=C and N stable isotope signatures reveal constraints to nutritional modes in orchids from the Mediterranean and Macaronesia | date=2010 | last1=Liebel | first1=Heiko T. | last2=Bidartondo | first2=Martin I. | last3=Preiss | first3=Katja | last4=Segreto | first4=Rossana | last5=Stöckel | first5=Marcus | last6=Rodda | first6=Michele | last7=Gebauer | first7=Gerhard | journal=American Journal of Botany | volume=97 | issue=6 | pages=903–912 | pmid=21622461 }}</ref><ref name="livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk"/>

Bee orchids are threatened by mowing during flowering, or before the seed has been released. However, they often also disappear from sites that become overgrown with shrubs and/or trees, as the orchids fail to compete with these large plants for light. For these reasons, bee orchids are often found on the edge of mown areas, beside paths or within areas that are mown very infrequently. The Sussex Wildlife Trust recommends mowing at the end of July and removing the cuttings to benefit bee orchids.<ref>[https://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/beeorchids Suffolk Wildlife Trust – Bee Orchids]</ref> In prehistory, the species presumably relied upon seasonal grazing pressure, or was limited to early succession habitats and permanent grassland.
[[File:Bee Orchid - Ophrys apifera (11776055286).jpg|thumb|266x266px|Flower of ''Ophrys apifera''. Sepals, petals, labellum, column, and pollinia are all visible.]]