Many people are concerned about the future of bees and pollination. Beekeepers report annual losses of about 35% of their hives each winter across the US, which is twice the "normal" winter losses from before 2005 (1). While it is not clear whether total numbers of bumble bees are declining, many studies have shown that some species of bumble bees are in trouble -with reduced numbers and geographical range (2). Several species of bumble bees, including some native to Connecticut, are close to extinction (3).There is controversy about the causes of these declines, and whether other bee species are also in trouble. However, there is widespread agreement that providing a safe source of pollen and nectar benefits all kinds of bees, including honey bees and a wide diversity of native bees. The best way to do this is to provide a diversity of flowers blooming over a long season that are attractive to bees and that are protected from pesticide spray and drift.In the words of Dr. Marla Spivak, MacArthur "Genius" award winner: "There are two things each and every one of us can do to help bee populations. We can plant bee-friendly flowers in our gardens without pesticides. Also, we can all campaign to have a wide variety of flowers planted in community gardens and on roadsides, and to have flower borders planted around farms."(4)

With growing evidence of changes in local abundance, geographical range, and species diversity of wild bees, it is imperative to document wild bee communities in representative habitats throughout North America. The Connecticut shoreline has historically been subject to many natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and there is a lack of baseline data regarding bee biodiversity in Connecticut’s maritime habitats. In this study, we characterize the wild bee fauna of a discrete maritime habitat in Connecticut, USA, and examine salt-marsh, beach dune, and coastal scrub bee communities adjacent to Long Island Sound. Patterns found are discussed in relation to recent coastal surveys in New England. Biweekly surveys were conducted at Grass Island (Guilford, CT) over a two-year period (2011-2012) using pan traps and effort-based (timed) net collecting from flowers. A total of 3928 individual bees were collected, representing five families, 18 genera and at least 80 species. Floral records for 374 individuals resulted in associations of 35 bee species with 19 species of flowers. Seventy percent of the bees captured in the net survey were visiting alien plants, with the exotic Rosa rugosa Thunb. having the highest level of bee diversity and relative abundance. The total number of bee species collected in this survey represents approximately 23% of the known Connecticut fauna, including four specialists associated with coastal and wetland habitats. The abundance and diversity of bees visiting alien plants on Grass Island, as well as the occurrence of these sand specialists, may prove to be of conservation concern as the Connecticut shoreline continues to be altered.