Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0001-7329-1799

Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Biology

Reader 1

Diane Thomson

Reader 2

Elise Ferree

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Abstract

Previous research identifies bee boxes as a promising tool for supporting cavity-nesting solitary bees, which are often limited by a shortage of natural nesting resources. However, implementing bee boxes in urbanized landscapes remains understudied. Literature suggests that bee boxes can be effective in developed areas, providing novel nesting habitat for solitary bees in areas where natural nesting environments are otherwise limited. We set up 15 bee boxes at the homes of volunteer research participants within Los Angeles County and an additional eight bee boxes in the natural pollinator habitat at the Bernard Field Station (BFS) in Claremont, California. We found no significant difference in occupancy between the BFS and residential yards. Small-diameter cavities showed the highest occupancy, exceeding expected occupancy based on their availability, indicating that small cavity-nesting bees were more likely to occupy the bee boxes than medium- or large-bodied bees. We used a dimension reduction method (Partial Least Squares) to determine which combinations of yard characteristics were most predictive of occupancy in the residential yards. The first two components explained 60% of the variation in occupancy, with shrub and tree cover emerging as the strongest predictor within the loadings. Other yard characteristics showed low loadings and were not strong predictors in the model. Additional research is needed to understand how floral resources influence solitary bee occupancy in urban landscapes, especially as climate change disrupts flowering phenology. Increasing the availability of nesting resources through bee boxes, along with enhancing shrub and tree cover, may promote solitary bee populations in urbanized landscapes.

Comments

Feel free to contact me for additional information at rose.olivia.1971@gmail.com or my mobile number (508)-505-0137.

Download

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

Share

COinS