Roadsides and pollinator conservation: The relationship between native bees and floral diversity

Bees are one of the most ecologically important groups of insects, and are the most significant pollinators in both natural plant communities and agricultural settings. With concerns worldwide over declines in pollinator populations, finding a way to increase suitable habitat for these important pollinators becomes vital. Restored roadsides may have conservation value to native bees. Comparisons were made between seven roadsides seeded with native vegetation and seven with weedy plants. The effects of floral resources and roadside characteristics on bee abundance and richness were also investigated, and potential biases of collection methods were considered. Roadsides restored to native vegetation were found to support greater bee abundance and richness than weedy roadsides, and results indicate that increasing floral richness, floral abundance and bare ground encourages greater bee abundance and richness. Results suggest that restoring roadsides to native vegetation will benefit bee populations and pollinator conservation efforts by providing much-needed habitat.