Files
Abstract
Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), accounting for most animal-mediated pollination, are declining globally due to factors such as pesticides and land use change. While working loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and longleaf (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests are widespread and economically significant, the effects of their management on pollinators is not well researched. I investigated how application strategies of common understory vegetation management tools – prescribed fire and herbicides – affect wild bee communities. Bees were sampled using blue vane and pan traps, and habitat characteristics were assessed in each stand. My research goals were to: 1) how fire seasonality and 2) time since fire affect bee and plant communities; 3) how communities change before vs. after fire; and 4) how bee communities differ between pine straw and pulpwood stands. We found no differences between growing and dormant season burn treatments. When assessing the effects of time since burn, bee richness was higher in stands immediately post-burn, though abundance was over 2x higher in stands one-year post-burn. Communities differed across time-since-fire treatments. Pine straw stands supported higher bee abundance and richness than pulpwood stands, and bee and plant communities were distinct. These results support that intentional application of prescribed fire may benefit wild bees in managed forests.