A Transmission Right-of-Way as Habitat for Wild Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) in Connecticut

Abstract

Abstract Transmission line corridors in forested landscapes provide important early successional habitats for a taxonomically rich array of invertebrates. In this study, we investigated the wild bee diversity at 19 sites along a transmission line right-of-way in southeastern Connecticut over a 2-yr period. One hundred sixty-three species representing 31 genera—roughly 50% of the state's bee species—were captured over the course of the study. Richness estimates suggest total faunas of 152, 180, and 204 bee species for the bee bowl, net, and combined samples, respectively. One globally rare bee, Epeoloides pilosula (Cresson) (Apidae: Osirini), formerly thought to be extirpated in the United States, was recovered. Two rarely collected species, Melitta melittoides (Viereck) (Melittidae) and Colletes productus Robertson (Colletidae), were associated with maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina (L.) de Candolle) flowers. Four Bombus species known to have declined regionally, Bombus affinis Cresson, Bombus ashtoni (Cresson), Bombus pensylvanicus (DeGeer), and Bombus terricola Kirby, were not among the eight bumble bee (Bombus) species found. Our results underscore the importance of transmission line corridors as managed early successional habitat for wild bees, including rare species, in the largely forested landscapes of New England.