A Survey of Wild Bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Their Floral Associations

Abstract

Bees serve an important role as pollinators and are a fundamental part of an ecosystem's biodiversity. However, the current conservation status of many bee species is largely unknown. We surveyed the wild bee species in and around Thunder Bay, a city in northwestern Ontario, Canada. The wild bee species in this region have not been fully documented but are necessary to fill gaps in many bee species ranges. We surveyed three representative flower-rich habitats of the area (an agricultural field, a tree plantation, and a wildflower meadow) throughout the summer of 2019 and collected 64 wild bee species from 17 genera and 5 families. Many species were newly documented to northwestern Ontario and one, Nomada alpha, was a newly documented species to Canada. Floral associations by all bees collected were made along with a phenology of each species found throughout the survey. The data collected allow for a better understanding of the local species that inhabit this area of Canada and provide information that would better target local conservation efforts for wild bees in the future.