D3062: Species diversity and proportional nesting guilds of bees in native wildflower plantings established in orchard ecosystem

Many species of wild bees provide important ecosystem services in commercially cultivated, pollinator-dependent, high-value crops. Recently, populations of managed honeybees have been declining due to multiple interactive factors, and, as a result, the cost of renting honeybee hives has increased significantly. In many high-value crops like apples, many growers have shifted from renting beehives to relying exclusively on wild bee populations. Meanwhile, the diversity and abundance of native bees are in rapid decline worldwide, primarily due to habitat loss. Therefore, conservation and management of native plant communities that provides nectar, pollen, and nesting habitat for these species on commercial farms is crucial. In this study, wild bees were monitored from 2012-2021 in seven native floral resource provisioning plots adjacent to commercial apple orchards in Adams County, Pennsylvania. These ten years of datasets were then analyzed to assess trends in annual bee diversity, richness, and abundance; as well as potential shifts in ratios of different nesting guilds within the bee community, namely, ground, cavity, and tunnels nesting species. Major findings from this study will be presented and practical aspects related to the effectiveness of restoring native habitat to attract and retain a diverse and abundant wild bee community will be discussed.