Bee Conservation: Behavior, Health and Pollination Ecology

Dear Colleagues,

We live in a time of bee decline, with ever-increasing publications drawing our attention to the declines in bee populations, pollinator deficits and the increases in threatening processes known to impact bee populations, including habitat loss, climate change, agricultural intensification, urbanization, pesticides and introduced plants and bees. However, there remain large lacunas in our knowledge in how to tackle and address this pollinator decline that threatens species and ecosystems at large. The knowledge on the basic yet absolutely core aspects of species ecology such as their nesting, foraging and reproductive behavior is entirely absent for many species. On the other hand, for many plants, we do not have any knowledge on which pollinator species visits them or their pollination requirements. The factors that lead to healthy bee populations, especially wild populations, are similarly under-represented in the literature.

This Special Issue will focus on these core research areas—bee behavior, bee health and foraging ecology. We will focus on wild bees, which have been under-represented in bee research, with a special focus on the studies of managed bees, notably honeybees. Contributions on topics from individual bee species to plant–bee networks are welcome.

Dr. Kit S. Prendergast
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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