Growers must constantly adapt to new production challenges, including the emergence of new pests. In pollination-dependent crops, there are added challenges of balancing pest control with protecting pollinators. Recently, spotted wing drosophila (SWD) and blueberry stem gall wasp (BSGW) have upended integrated pest management programs developed for blueberry growers. SWD is an invasive vinegar fly that is managed primarily with insecticide applications, while BSGW is a native pest that has increased in some susceptible cultivars. The increase in insecticide applications to protect from these pests is expected to have negative effects on bees at these farms, particularly those with season-long activity. To explore the implications of these changes on the bee communities in blueberry farms, we highlight a fifteen year series of samples taken using bowl traps at farms with variable pest management intensity. We found significant bee community change over time, yet insecticide program intensity on the focal farms explained little of the change we observed in the spring bee community. Instead, there was a large change in the bee community associated with an extreme weather event. In a separate study, we found that managed bees (honey bees and bumble bees) on blueberry farms for pollination are exposed to a wide range of active ingredients, including some that are never sprayed on blueberries. Some of these pose a significant risk to bees. Considering pesticide applications at the landscape scale will be critical for reducing the exposure and risk to managed and wild bees.
