The Bee Fauna of Inland Sand Dune and Ridge Woodland Communities in Worcester County, Maryland

Abstract We surveyed bees inhabiting inland dune and ridge woodlands at 30 sites in Worcester County, MD, in 2008 and 2009 . We collected and identified 4878 bees representing 5 families, 31 genera, and 121 species. Here, we report data on annual and seasonal variation. Expanding survey efforts to include multiple years and seasons served to increase the overall number of species encountered, primarily through documenting the presence of rare or infrequently collected species. Eighty-eight species (73%) were represented by fewer than 10 individuals; of these 30 were represented by a single individual (25% of the total). The 5 most dominant species represented nearly half (48%) of the total number of specimens. We report a list of bee species collected from inland dune and ridge woodlands and discuss the presence of apparently habitat-restricted species.