Honey bee hives decrease wild bee abundance, species richness, and fruit count on farms regardless of wildflower...

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Agriculture
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Pollinator refuges like wildflower strips aim to support wild bees and enhance crop pollination.
• The impact of managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) hives on these conservation goals remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how wildflower strips and honey bee hives affect wild bee communities and crop fruit set.
• To determine if wildflower strips can mitigate negative impacts of honey bee presence on farms.

Main Methods:

• Field study across 21 farms in the Mid-Atlantic U.S.
• Assessed wild bee abundance and species richness.
• Measured fruit count for two pollinator-dependent crops (strawberry and winter squash).

Main Results:

• Wildflower strips increased wild bee species richness with bloom density but did not significantly alter overall populations.
• Fruit counts for both crops increased on farms with wildflower strips in one of two years.
• Honey bee hives significantly decreased wild bee abundance (48%) and species richness (20%), and strawberry fruit count (18%).
• Winter squash fruit count was lower on farms with both wildflower strips and honey bee hives.

Conclusions:

• Managed honey bee hives can negatively impact wild bee populations and crop yields.
• The benefits of wildflower strips may be diminished or offset by the presence of honey bee hives.
• Integrating honey bee hives with wildflower strips may reduce overall conservation and pollination services.