Plugging the hunger gap: Organic farming supports more abundant nutritional resources for bees at critical periods

O_LIUnderstanding the decline in bee populations and their plant mutualists is of paramount concern for ecosystem health, as well as our future food security. Intensive farming practices are one of the major drivers behind such declines. Organic farming is one of the principal alternatives to conventional practices yet the evidence for its effects are mixed, with some studies showing limited benefits. C_LIO_LIWe conducted bee and floral surveys on 10 paired organic and conventional farms across Yorkshire, UK, to investigate how farming practice influenced the abundance, richness and community composition of bees and flowering plants. C_LIO_LIFirstly, we found that species richness for flowering plants and bees was similar across organic and conventional farms. Floral composition differed between organic and conventional farms with the greatest differences seen in May and June, whereas bee community composition was similar among farming practices. C_LIO_LISecondly, both bee and floral abundance were higher in organic farms. Peaks in floral abundance, and corresponding bee abundance, occurred in particular months, most notably in July, with abundance during the rest of the season being similar across both farming practices. C_LIO_LISynthesis and applications: Our results suggest that higher floral availability on organic farms corresponds with increased bee abundance. Of particular importance was the higher floral abundance during spring, in the pollinator hungry gap, where floral resources are traditionally scarce. However, conventional farms performed comparably to organic farms across the rest of the season, as well as showing similar levels of species richness, diversity and species composition for both flowering plants and bees. We suggest that targeted management on conventional farms, aimed at boosting floral abundance in the spring, when floral abundance is low, could allow conventional farms to make up the shortfall. Additionally, focusing on increasing the diversity of flowering plants, in terms of both phenology and nutritional composition, for both adult bees and their larvae, could improve bee community diversity across both farming systems. C_LI