Bee diversity in coffee agroecosystems of Costa Rica

Coffee is an important global commodity (Perfecto and Armbrecht, 2003) grown in some of the most biologically diverse regions of the world. Many factors affect the success of coffee production, such as pollination by bees. I quantified bee diversity within shaded and unshaded coffee agroecosystems and non-agricultural sites in Costa Rica. I used Malaise traps to collect bees over two coffee flowering seasons (2005 and 2006). My results suggest that land-use activities (agriculture) and shade trees were important factors in influencing bee communities. Open areas of unshaded coffee farms could increase the availability of nesting sites for bees. Small-scale management strategies that focus on pollinator conservation to optimize crop production are discussed. Also discussed are methods of sampling bees and data analysis which are important in revealing the true diversity of a habitat.;Keywords: coffee; bees; diversity; biodiversity, Costa Rica, and agriculture...