Wild bees are an economically and ecologically important group of insects – many of which contribute to the pollination of flowering plants across diverse crop systems, urbanized areas, and wildlands. Over the last several decades, scientific evidence documenting population decline and reduced wild bee community diversity has rapidly accumulated. The cause of wild bee decline and reduced diversity is primarily tied to numerous human economic activities associated with population growth and expansion. Wild bees are diverse in their life history, geography, and nutritional requirements – and thus can be challenging group to manage and conserve across different landscapes. Today, we will explore some of the major challenges wild bees are encountering across diverse landscapes. We will also identify some of the major gaps in research that need to be addressed in order to make effective management and conservation decisions to support wild bees in managed and unmanaged ecosystems. Finally, we will explore what “resilience” looks like in the context of global change for wild bees.
