Bee-friendly planting increases diversity, abundance

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture has increased bee abundance and diversity by improving habitats in farms in the state. A new study by researchers at North Carolina State University evaluated the effectiveness of different mixtures of plants over three years of planting at 16 agricultural stations around the state. They captured bees in nets and traps to estimate overall abundance and species diversity. “We were really happy to see increases in the abundance and number of bee species found over time,” said Hannah Levenson, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State and an author of the study in a press release. “It was also exciting to see how many species we documented, especially for studying one kind of habitat. This study was limited to agricultural areas but we still found nearly 130 bee species.”