Honey bees and native bees together are responsible for pollinating over $18 billion worth of crops annually in the US. But, both are experiencing significant population pressures including habitat loss, pathogens, and pesticides. On average, honey bee beekeepers in the United States experience an annual 40% colony loss overwintering their hives. Additionally, in 2016, seven species of yellow-faced bees in Hawaii and one species of bumble bee in the continental United States were added to the endangered species list. The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, or Bombus affinis, has experienced a staggering 90% decline in population. These cases of population loss are particularly troubling since bees as a whole pollinate 30% of our agricultural landscapes and 90% of our natural landscapes.
There are few native bee populations that have been thoroughly documented, especially when compared to the wealth of knowledge on honey bees. My study helps to fills the research gap on native bee populations by measuring the pollinator communities in augmented ‘pollinator plots’ at 16 NCDA Experimental Agricultural Research Stations across the state.
Results/Conclusions
The first year of sampling I collected 4,281 individuals across 20 different taxa—utilizing bee bowls and sweep netting—which will serve as the baseline data for a total of three years of sampling. The second year exceeded the first year in abundance and diversity with 6,307 individuals across 26 different taxa. The stations are grouped into three categories: low, medium, and high management. Interestingly, after the second year of sampling the average abundance significantly increased depending on the management style, with the highest average increase in abundance found in the high management plots. More patterns are expected to emerge after completing the third year of sampling.
This study will give vital information on the impact of augmented habitat on bee populations and will be the first to empirically measure the consequences of planting pollinator habitats on native bee communities at the physiological and community levels. Additionally, if there is a significant positive effect from planting the pollinator plots, this study could be used to facilitate nationwide studies and advise policymakers across North America on how to increase pollinator populations as well as contribute to the knowledge gap on the baseline data for native bee populations. This research will also provide agricultural facilities with an example for how to increase pollinator communities and how best to establish pollinator plots for themselves.