Bee diversity in scrub oak patches 2 years after mow and herbicide treatment

Abstract. 1. Little is known about the diversity and land management response of native solitary bees in globally rare barrens restricted to the northeastern United States. Herein we assess solitary bee diversity in a scrub oak barrens 2 years after a mow and herbicide treatment. 2. Standard bowl‐trap and sweep‐net surveys were repeated six times during June–August in four treated scrub oak patches and a nearby untreated scrub oak patch. 3. Bee richness and total abundance (all specimens) did not differ appreciably between the treated and untreated scrub oak. However, analysis of species composition and abundances while controlling for seasonality suggested a treatment effect. 4. Increased apparentness of nectar resources and sandy areas post‐treatment may have favoured sand specialist and oligolectic bee species. 5. Although not a surrogate for fire, we expect mow and herbicide treatment to delay the return of closed‐canopy thicket, lower the costs of prescribed fire maintenance, and allow bee communities’ greater recovery time.