Forest Bee Diversity and Community Composition Vary Across Ecoregions of New Jersey

Samuel R. Wilhelm^1,*, Joseph Giulian², Andrew H. Aldercotte³, and Katherine J. Turo^3,4

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996. ²Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37604. ³Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08102. ⁴Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx, NY 10458. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 33, Issue 1 (2026): 1–22

First published early online: 13 February 2026

Abstract
Deciduous forests are habitat for an understudied diversity of wild bees. To advance effective conservation of forest bees, we need to better understand their resource needs and distribution. We surveyed spring-foraging bees across 3 New Jersey ecoregions that are surrounded by variable amounts of forested land cover and have different histories of disturbance. We documented 118 native bee species visiting 120 plant species across 21 forest sites, including 46 bee species previously identified as forest specialists. Forest bee communities were significantly distinct among the 3 ecoregions. However, Vaccinium spp., Rubus spp., and invasive forbs such as Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard), were frequently foraged on across ecoregions. We highlight the value of natural history surveys for better understanding forest bee ecology and providing context for future conservation efforts.

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