A Comparison of Bee Abundance and Species Richness in Three Managed Grassland Types

Bees are threatened by environmental changes, pathogens, and pesticides (Pettis, 2012, Meeus et al., 2018). The goal of the study is to compare and evaluate the bee abundance and species richness in three different field types. My hypothesis is that bees would favor the fields planted for their benefit, and that the tall grass dominated plantings would be preferred over mowed fescue. My findings have low power considering few replicates and the use of relative abundance and relative species richness for statistical analyses. Bee abundance and species richness had an overall positive relationship of varying degrees across habitat types. Relative bee abundance was statistically different when all three habitats were tested and when the tall grass and pollinator plots were tested. There was no significant difference between relative bee abundance in fescue and tall grass fields, but bees were collected at a higher abundance in fescue fields than in the tall grass. I suggest that the NRCS continues to advocate for pollinator plantings in future conservation plantings in order to promote visitation of pollinators, especially bees. My intention is that these findings create a base for comparison with future sampling of bee populations on the Green River Preserve