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Abstract
Working loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests rely on herbicides to remove understory plants and promote forest productivity, yet there has been limited research on herbicide effects on wild bees. During 2022-2023, I conducted a study in loblolly pine stands in the Piedmont region of Georgia. Stands of two stages (early post-establishment or thinned mid-rotation) underwent imazapyr application through either: 1) broadcast chemical site preparation (early post-establishment only); 2) broadcast chemical site preparation + banded herbaceous weed control (early post-establishment only); 3) broadcast woody release (midrotation only); or 4) control with no herbicide. I sampled bees with blue, yellow, and white pan traps and blue vane traps, and recorded stand basal area, understory floral resources, and canopy openness. Wild bee catches were similar among treatments for both stages and sampling years. While plant richness and cover were higher in untreated midrotation stands during both sampling years, herbicide treated stands had 29-46% higher bee richness in both years. My results indicate that herbicide treated stands may support pollinators through greater habitat heterogeneity, particularly through maintaining open habitat conditions that benefit soil nesting bees.