Roadsides Helping Bees Thrive

Sept. 12, 2008 -- Roadsides may seem like the crummiest real estate around, but new research suggests that in fact they could serve as nature preserves for crucial pollinators, particularly native bees.

Roadsides planted with native plants hosted more than twice as many total bees and almost 50 percent more bee species than roadsides covered in non-native grasses, according to the study, published in Biological Conservation.

Jennifer Hopwood made the discovery while in graduate school in ecology at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. She started the research after picking up a book on roadside ecology from her colleague's desk and starting to read.

"I just became really interested in the idea that roadsides could be potential habitat for animals and could also be a haven for plant species," she said.

Several programs have restored the plants along roadsides in the Midwest to native species, which offer advantages over the non-native plants that were once recommended.

Native plants have deep roots, so they help prevent erosion, and they require less mowing and herbicide use, which saves on maintenance costs, although the up-front cost of planting and establishing the native grasses is higher.

But Hopwood's primary interest was in bees, so she began investigating bees' success in such habitats.

Hopwood collected bees from several roadside sites in Kansas that had been restored to native plants, and compared them with nearby, unrestored roadsides. Not only did Hopwood find that native plants hosted more than twice as many bees and almost 30 more types than weedy sites, but she also found that this relationship held regardless of how many flowers were present.