Assessment of the native bee community in 1st, 2nd and 3rd year restoration of grassland prairie

Grassland prairie restoration is a key focus of conservation programs aimed at reversing habitat loss and supporting biodiversity. These restored prairies are believed to play a crucial role in providing foraging and nesting resources for native pollinators, particularly bees. However, the effectiveness of restoration efforts in supporting diverse and abundant native bee communities over time remains an area of active research. In this study, we assessed native bee community composition across prairie restoration sites at different successional stages—specifically, prairies in their first, second, and third year of restoration. Standardized sampling techniques utilizing sweep netting were employed to quantify bee abundance, species richness, and community structure at each site. Our findings reveal temporal trends in pollinator community assembly and provide insights into how restoration age influences habitat suitability for native bees. These results have important implications for conservation planning and land management, as they inform expectations for pollinator recovery following restoration and guide adaptive management strategies to enhance pollinator habitat quality across restoration timelines.